































Ciass-BXlISX 

Book—IxSi*- 

OopigM?-- 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 











INSTRUCTIONS ON 
CHRISTIAN MORALITY 

FOR PREACHERS AND TEACHERS 


ADAPTED FROM THE FRENCH 


H 


BY 


THE REV. JOHN KIELY 


B. HERDER BOOK CO. 

17 SOUTH BROADWAY, ST. LOUIS, MO. 
AND 

33 QUEEN SQUARE, LONDON, W. C. 1. 
1924 




































































- 








































































































































































































PREFACE 


The following letters may serve as a preface to this book: 


I 

Our Lady & St. Hubert's, 

Great Harwood, 

Near Blackburn. 

Reverend and Dear Father Kiely:— 

I wish to recommend to you very strongly an admirable little French 
work entitled ft Plans d } Instructions sur les Principaux Sujets de la 
Morale Chretienne.” 

It is admirably arranged, and full of very apposite and valuable quota¬ 
tions from the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church. The 
modest author, who does not even disclose his name, and signs him¬ 
self merely “Un Cure du Diocese de Liege/’ has produced a work that 
will be found of the greatest service to preachers and teachers, and to 
all who have to explain and enforce Christian Doctrine. 

We have, no doubt, many books of instruction in English, but I 
know of none exactly like this, and I feel sure that it would receive a 
hearty welcome if it were presented to the English-speaking public in 
an English dress. The plan is first to explain the doctrine and to divide 
it into its different parts; then to give a number of striking verses from 
the Bible bearing on the subject, which are exceedingly well-chosen, and 
quoted in extenso; and finally to give a variety of extracts from the 
writings of the Fathers of the Church, which help to enforce and em¬ 
phasize the special doctrine under consideration. 

If you could see your way to make a good English translation of this 
admirable book I feel sure you would be doing a very good and a very 
useful work, and that you would be conferring a real boon on the 
general Catholic public. 

Yours very truly, 

(signed) John S. Vaughan. 


VI 


PREFACE 


II 

St. Bede's College, 

Manchester, S. W. 

16th October, 1920. 

I am impressed with the great value of these admirable Instructions 
on Christian Morality, which are not only in themselves extremely full 
and well-arranged, but are also remarkable for their abundant quota¬ 
tions from Holy Scripture and from the Fathers of the Church. I 
should be very glad to see an English translation published, as I be¬ 
lieve that it would be of the greatest utility in the hands of our clergy 
and of those engaged in giving religious instruction. 

(signed) Louis Charles, 

Bishop of Salford. 


Ill 

St. Joseph's Priory, 

Todmorden, Lancs. 

26th January, 1923. 

Dear Father Kiely:— 

At the request of His Lordship the Bishop of Salford, I have ex¬ 
amined your translation of the **Plans d J Instructions sur les Principaux 
Sujbts de la Morale Chretienne.” I congratulate you most heartily on 
the work you have undertaken with such success. 

The perusal of your manuscript has afforded me immense pleasure. 

The book itself is splendid—in fact, quite unique. Published by a 
Cure of Liege, in 1851, it still holds the foremost place among works 
of catechetical instruction. 

The wealth of Scriptural texts, and the copious quotations from the 
writings of the Fathers, which the learned author brings to bear upon 
each doctrinal explanation, give to this book a characteristic entirely 
of its own, and raise it far above the level of most catechetical works. 

In this work the priest will have at hand a rich mine of thought and 
suggestion for doctrinal and moral instruction. The layman will pos¬ 
sess the key to a priceless store of Catholic doctrine and devotion. 

I know of no other book which so eminently accords in a concise 


PREFACE 


vii 

and handy form, with the exhortation of Pope Benedict XV in his 
Encyclical Letter on Preaching (15 June, 1917) : “The test of the 
orator’s power and skill is his success in making his hearers accept the 
stern truth he is preaching. How did the Apostle unfold the subjects 
of which he treated? ‘Not in the persuasive words of human wisdom’ 
(1 Cor. ii, 4). It is perfectly plain, Venerable Brethren, how impor¬ 
tant for everybody it is that they should thoroughly realize this, since 
we see that not a few of our sacred preachers overlook in their sermons 
the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the 
arguments based on sacred theology, and for the most part make their 
appeals to reason.” Your own share in the publication of this work is 
most admirable. Your translation is excellent—exact, clear, and 
concise. 

The English speaking people are under a debt of gratitude to you for 
having presented to them in its English dress this beautiful book. I 
am confident that this course of Instructions is destined to have a large 
circulation and to accomplish an immense amount of good. 

Believe me, 

Yours very sincerely, 

(signed) J. M. McCarthy, O.S.M., 

Censor Deputatus. 








CONTENTS 


I. MOTIVES AND MEANS OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION . . . 

i. Motives of Religious Instruction. 

1. God Commands It. 

2. Religious Knowledge is Essentially Necessary.! . 

3. Evils That Result from Ignorance of Religion. 

ii. Means of Religious Instruction . 

1. Private Instruction. 

2. Vain Excuses.[ 

3. How to Assist at Religious Instruction with Profit. 

II. DIVINE ORIGIN OF RELIGION. 

i. The Holiness of Its Author and of His Doctrine. 

1. The Holiness of Its Author. 

2. The Holiness of His Doctrine. 

ii. Prophecies and Miracles. 

1. Prophecies. 

2. Miracles . 


PAQK 

I 

I 

1 

2 

3 

4 

4 

5 
5 

7 

7 


8 

8 

9 


iii. The Establishment of Christianity in the World and the Mar¬ 


tyrs It Has Produced.10 

1. The Establishment of Christianity .10 

2. The Martyrs It Has Produced.10 


III. FAITH.12 

i. What the Faith of a Christian Should be .12 

1. Faith Should be Humble and Submissive.12 

2. Faith Should be Entire and Universal.13 

3. Faith Should be Living and Active.13 

ii. What the Faith of the Greater Number of Christians Really 

is .14 

1. People Wish to Argue.14 

2. They Will Believe Only what Pleases Them.15 

3. They are Unwilling to Conform Their Lives to Their Belief ... 15 

Divisions ..17 

IV. THE WORD OF GOD.18 

i. The Fruits and Effects of the Word of God .18 

1. It is Profitable to Teach.18 

2. To Reprove and Correct.19 

3. To Instruct in Justice.19 

ii. The Disposition with Which the Word of God Should be Received 20 

1. We Should Hear It with Attention and Respect.20 

2. We Should Preserve It, Meditate on It, Nourish Our Piety with It, 

and Hide It in Our Hearts.21 

3. We Should Put It into Practice.22 

Divisions.23 

ix 






































X 


CONTENTS 


PA GB 


V. THE PRESENCE OF GOD.25 

i. The Presence of God, Source of Our Sanctification .25 

1. The Thought of the Presence of God Makes Us Fear Sin .... 25 

2. The Thought of the Presence of God Gives Us Strength to Overcome 

Temptations.27 

ii. The Presence of God, Source of Our Happiness. 29 

1. The Presence of God Satisfies All Desires.29 

2. The Presence of God Makes up for All Losses.29 

3. The Presence of God Mitigates Sufferings.30 

Divisions.31 


VI. DIVINE PROVIDENCE.31 

i. What the Providence of God Does for Mankind.31 

1. There is a Providence that Rules all Things. 32 

2. But Why so Much Disease, so Many Evils?.33 

ii. What We Should Do to Respond to God’s Loving Care .... 34 

1. We Should be Grateful for the Benefits He has Bestowed on Us . . 34 

2. We Should Submit to His Holy Will.35 

Divisions .36 


VII. THE MERCY OF GOD.. . . 

i. What the Mercy of God Does for Sinners. 

1. God Waits for Sinners to Repent. 

2. God Invites All Sinners to do Penance. 

3. He Receives Them Back into His Friendship and Pardons Them 

without Delay. 

ii. What Sinners Should Do to Correspond to God’s Mercy . 

1. The Mercy of God Bears With and Waits for You. 

2. His Mercy Calls and Lovingly Invites You. 

3. When God Pardons the Sinner, the Sinner Should Remain Faithful 

unto Death. 

Divisions . 


38 

38 

38 

39 


39 

40 

40 

41 

42 

43 


VIII. THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION. 

i. What Has Been the Love of God for Man in the Mystery of the 

Incarnation. 

1. The Most Compassionate Love. 

2. The Most Generous Love. 

ii. What Should Be Our Love for the Son of God Made Man . . . 

1. A Tender and Grateful Love in Return for His Favors. 

2. A Generous Love That Makes Us Submit to His Will . . . . ! 

Divisions. 


45 


45 

45 

46 

47 
47 

47 

48 


IX. OBLIGATION OF KNOWING JESUS CHRIST. 

i. We Must Seek to Know Jesus Christ. 

1. What He is. 

2. What He Has Done for Us.* * ] 

ii. The Greater Part of Mankind Do Not Know Jesus Christ . 

1. Faith in Christ is Unknown.’ 

2. It is even Contradicted. j 

Divisions. 


50 

50 

50 

51 

51 

52 

52 

53 


X. DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST.55 

i. Meditation on the Passion of Christ is Most Pleasing to God « 

1. Christ Himself Took Pleasure in Thinking of His Life . . 55 

2. His Disciples Have Always Had a Tender Devotion to His Passion 1 56 





































CONTENTS 


XI 


PAGJ& 

ii. Meditation on the Passion of Christ is Most Beneficial to a 
Christian .57 

1. It Turns Us Away from Sin..57 

2. It Leads Us to the Practice of Virtue.57 

Division .58 


XI. THE WORK OF SALVATION.60 

i. How We Should Regard the Affair of Salvation .60 

1. Our Salvation is a Matter That Concerns Each One Personally . . 60 

2. Salvation is a Most Important Business.61 

3. The Saving of Our Souls is Our One Work.62 

ii. How We Should Work to Save Our Souls .62 

1. As Soon as Possible, without Delay.63 

2. With Care and Diligence.63 

3. Continually and without Interruption.64 

Divisions .65 

XII. DELAY OF CONVERSION.68 

i. Conversion Deferred Becomes Uncertain.68 

ii. Conversion Deferred Becomes Difficult. 70 

Divisions. 73 


XIII. THE HABIT OF SIN. 75 

i. What a Bad Habit is. 75 

1. A Sinful Habit is Opposed to All Thoughts of Conversion .... 75 

2. A Bad Habit Not Only Impedes All Our Efforts to Give up Sin, it 

also Hardens Us in Evil.76 

3. A Habit of Sin Leads to Despair and Ultimate Impenitence ... 77 

ii. What the Habitual Sinner Must Do to Free Himself from His 

Bad Habit. 78 

1. He Must Sincerely Desire to Do It.. 7 ° 

2. He Must Place Himself under a Wise and Prudent Director ... 79 

3. He Must Pray Fervently and Perseveringly.80 

Divisions.81 


XIV. THE THOUGHT OF DEATH . 

i. What the Moment of Death Means 

ii. Advantages of the Thought of Death 

1. It Detaches Us from This World . 

2. It Curbs Our Passions . . . . • 

3. It Induces Us to Lead a Holier Life . 

Divisions . 


83 

83 


86 

86 

88 


XV. DEATH OF THE WICKED.89 

i. His Past is Made Frightful by the Most Bitter Regret .... 89 

1. The Pleasures He Has Tasted.89 

2. The Sins He Has Committed. °9 

3. The Means of Salvation He Has Abused. 9 ° 

ii. The Present by the Keenest Anguish.91 

iii. The Future by Overwhelming Despair. 91 

Divisions.. .. 93 


XVI. DEATH OF THE JUST. 95 

i. The Advantages of a Good Death. 95 

1. In the Ending of Man’s Misery. 95 

2. In the Company of His Good Works.96 













































CONTENTS 


xii 

PAGB 

3. In the Pardon and Remission of His Sins.9 7 

ii. Means of Obtaining the Grace of a Holy Death.98 

1. By a Holy Life.98 

2. By a Sincere Repentance.99 

3. By a Perfect Conformity of Our Death with that of Jesus Christ . 99 

Divisions ..100 

XVII. THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT.101 

i. There are Few Saved.101 

1. Teaching of Holy Scripture.101 

2. Of the Fathers of the Church.101 

3. Of Reason.102 

ii. If We are not Among the Saved, the Fault is Our Own . . . 103 

1. God Wishes to Save Us, and Often We do not Want to be Saved . . 103 

2. God Gives Us Graces and We Abuse Them.104 

3. From This Results the Reprobation of so Many Sinners.105 

Divisions.106 

XVIII. THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT.107 

i. There is for Each One, at the Moment of Death, a Particular 

Judgment that Will Decide His Destiny.107 

1. We Must Give an Account of the Good We Have Done .... 106 

2. We Must Give an Account of the Evil We Have Done.108 

ii. Means of Forestalling the Rigors of This Judgment.109 

1. To Enter into Ourselves and to Acknowledge Our Guilt.109 

2. To Practice Works of Penance.109 

3. To Make Friends with the Mammon of Iniquity.109 

4. To Think Seriously of Conversion.no 

Divisions .no 

XIX. THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.112 

i. The Sinners Judged and Condemned by Jesus Christ.112 

1. His Presence Shall Confound Them.113 

2. The Holiness of His Life Shall Condemn Them . . . . . . .114 

ii. The Sinner Judged and Condemned by Himself.115 

1. He Could Have Saved His Soul.115 

2. He Did not Wish to be Saved.116 

Divisions.118 

XX. ETERNITY.119 

i. The Truth of Eternity.119 

1. The Old Testament.119 

2. The New Testament.120 

ii. The Insensibility of Mankind with Regard to Eternity . . . 122 

1. Many Christians do not Believe in Eternity, at Least not with a 

Lively Faith.122 

2. A Still Greater Number do not Think of Eternity.122 

Divisions.123 

XXI. HELL.125 

i. A Lost Soul is Deprived of All Goods. .... 125 

1. Of All the Good Things Which the Sinner Enjoys in This Life, not 

One will Follow Him into Eternity.125 

2. The Damned Soul is Deprived of Spiritual Benefits.126 

3. The Damned Soul is Deprived of Eternal Happiness * . . . . 126 











































CONTENTS 


xiii 

PAGE 

ii. The Damned Soul is Overwhelmed by All Evils .127 

1. The Principal Pain of Sense Will be Fire.127 

2. When Body and Soul are Reunited, this Pain will Torture Both . . 128 

iii. The Damned will be Tormented Forever .129 

Divisions.. 


XXII. PURGATORY.133 

i. Motives which Should Induce Us to Assist the Souls in Purgatory 133 


1. The Interests of God.133 

2. The Interests of These Souls.134 

3. Our Own Interests.135 


ii. Means of Assisting the Poor Souls. 136 

Divisions.138 


XXIII. HEAVEN AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS.139 

i. How Great is the Happiness of Heaven.139 

1. Imperishable Riches.139 

2. Everlasting Pleasures. 140 

3. Real and Solid Honors.141 

ii. What We Must do to Gain Heaven.142 

1. We Must Merit the Riches of Heaven by Detachment from Those of 

Earth .142 

2. We Must Merit Heavenly Joys by Mortifying the Senses and Carry¬ 
ing Our Cross Every Day.142 

3. We Must Merit Honors in Heaven by Humiliations on Earth . . . 143 

Divisions .145 


XXIV. THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD IN GENERAL .... 146 

i. The Obligation of Being Instructed in the Commandments . . 146 

1. The Christian Should be Able to Repeat the Commandments . . . 146 

2. The Christian Ought to Understand the Meaning of the Command¬ 
ments .147 

3. The Christian Ought to Carry the Commandments in His Heart . . 147 

ii. What We Must do in Order to Fulfil this Obligation .... 147 

XXV. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. LOVE OF GOD .... 150 

i. The Motives of Our Love for God.150 

1. God Possesses all the Perfections that can Render an Object Sover¬ 
eignly Lovable in Itself.150 

2. God has Bestowed on Us an Infinite Number of Favors.151 

ii. Characteristics of the Love of God.153 

1. You Must Love God with Your Whole Heart.153 

2. You Must Love God with Your Whole Strength.154 

Divisions.156 


XXVI. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 158 
i. The Obligation of Loving Our Neighbor .158 

1. We Should Love Our Neighbor Because of His Relations with God . 158 

2. We Should Love Our Neighbor Because of His Relations Towards Us 159 


ii. How We Must Love Our Neighbor.161 

1. With a Sincere Love.161 

2. With an Efficacious Love.162 

3. With a Pure and Disinterested Love.163 

Divisions.164 



































XIV 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XXVII. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. THE ADORATION DUE 


TO GOD. 1(6 

i. The Adoration which is Due to God.166 

Interior and Exterior Worship.167 

ii. Sins Opposed to the Supreme Worship which is Due to God, or 

the Virtue of Religion .168 

1. Idolatrj.168 

2. Witchcraft.169 

3. Impiety.169 

4. Superstition. .169 

5. Sacrilege. 171 

XXVIII. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. THE WORSHIP OF THE 

SAINTS, IMAGES, AND RELICS.172 

i. In what does This Worship Consist? .172 

1. The Church Honors the Saints as the Friends of God.172 

2. The Church Teaches Us to Honor the Images of the Saints . . . 173 

ii. The Benefit and Fruit which can and Ought to be Drawn from 

this Worship ..174 

iii. Errors to be Avoided.175 


XXIX. OATHS AND VOWS.176 

i. What is an Oath? .176 


ii. Conditions of an Oath 

1. Truth . 

2. Judgment . . . . 

3. Justice . . . . . 


1 77 
177 


178 

179 


iii. What Obligation does One Contract by an Oath, and When can 

One be Dispensed from this Obligation?.179 

Divisions.180 


XXX. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. BLASPHEMY AND IM¬ 


PRECATIONS .181 

i. Imprecations are Unworthy of a Christian. i8r 

ii. The Sin of Blasphemy.182 


XXXI. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. CURSING AND SWEAR¬ 
ING .185 

i. “I Curse and Swear, but I do not Mean Any Harm” .185 

1. Injury to God.185 

2. Injury to the Neighbor.186 

3. Injury to the Swearer Himself.186 


ii. “I Curse and Swear, but not without Reason” .186 

1. People Curse and Swear only when Carried away by Anger . . . 186 

2. They Swear to Certify to the Truth.187 

3. They Swear through Custom and Habit.187 


iii. This Bad Habit is not without a Remedy .187 

1. To this Habit of Swearing Oppose a Contrary One.187 

2. Avoid Everything that Might Cause You to Swear.188 

3. To Anger Oppose Mildness and Patience.188 


XXXII. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. VOWS.189 

i. What is Meant by a Vow; Its Merit and Its Conditions . . . 189 

ii. The Obligation that Arises from a Vow. .190 

iii. Circumstances in which this Obligation Ceases.191 








































CONTENTS 


xv 

PAGB 

XXXIII. THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. SANCTIFICATON OF 


THE SUNDAY. 192 

i. Institution of the Sunday.193 

ii. What is Forbidden on Sunday.194 

iii. What We are Commanded to do on Sunday.196 

1. To Hear Mass.196 

2. To Assist at the Offices of the Church.197 

3. To Attend Instructions.197 

XXXIV. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. DUTIES OF CHIL¬ 
DREN TOWARDS THEIR PARENTS. 199 

i. Love.199 

ii. Respect.200 

iii. Obedience.201 

iv. Assistance.202 


XXXV. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. DUTIES OF PARENTS 


TOWARDS THEIR CHILDREN.205 

i. Parents Must Strive to Educate Their Children and Establish 

Them in Life.205 

1. Food.205 

2. Maintenance .206 

3. Settlement in Life.206 

ii. Parents Must Train Up Their Children in the Practice of 

Piety and the Love of Virtue.207 

1. Instruction.207 

2. Correction.208 

3. Good Example.210 

XXXVI. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. DUTIES OF SERV¬ 
ANTS TOWARDS THEIR MASTERS .213 

i. Servants Should Respect Their Masters.213 

ii. Servants Should Obey Their Masters.214 

iii. Servants Should Serve Their Masters Faithfully. 215 


XXXVII THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. DUTIES OF MAS¬ 
TERS TOWARDS THEIR SERVANTS.217 


i. Duties of Justice . 

1. Food. 

2. Wages .... 

ii. Duties of Charity 

iii. Duties of Piety . 


. 217 
. 217 
. 218 

. 218 
. 220 


XXXVIII THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. DUTIES OF PAS- 
' TORS AND PARISHIONERS. 


i. Qualities of a Good Pastor. 

1. Self-Denial. 

2. Courage. 

3. Vigilance .. 

ii. The Qualities of Good Parishioners . 

1. They Know Their Pastor. 

2. They Listen to His Voice . • • • • • • 

3. They Follow Him and Become Attached to Him 


222 

222 

223 

223 

224 

224 

225 
226 










































XVI 


CONTENTS 


PAG1 

XXXIX. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. HOMICIDE .228 

i. It is Forbidden to Take One’s Own Life .228 

ii. It is Forbidden to Take the Life of Another by Private Authority 229 

iii. Different Ways of Committing Homicide .230 


XL. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. LOVE OF ENEMIES—FOR¬ 
GIVENESS OF INJURIES.232 

i. There is Nothing More Urgent than This Obligation .... 232 

1. A Commandment of God.232 

2. The Example of Christ.233 

3. Our Own Interests.234 

ii. There is Nothing More Frivolous than the Pretexts which Peo¬ 
ple Bring Forward to Dispense Themselves from this Obligation . 236 


XLI. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. SCANDAL.239 

i. How Injurious Scandal is to God . 239 

1. It Deprives God of the Honor Due Him.239 

2. It Destroys the Plans of Jesus Christ for the Salvation of Man . . 240 

ii. How Hurtful Scandal is to Man . . 241 

1. This Sin Will be More Rigorously Punished.241 

2. The Consequences of Scandal are often Irreparable and Make Return 

to Life of Grace More Difficult.242 

3. Examples of Scandal and Its Punishment.243 

XLII. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. IMPURITY.246 

i. The Causes of Impurity.246 

1. Want of Vigilance over the Senses.246 

2. Dangerous Occasions.247 

3. Idleness. 248 

ii. Effects of Impurity. 248 

1. On the Body. 249 

2. Evils Produced in the Soul by this Passion.249 


XLIII. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. AVOIDING DANGEROUS 

OCCASIONS.254 

i. It is Often a Sin to Expose Oneself to the Occasion of Sin with¬ 
out Need .254 

1. When Occasion is Voluntary.254 

2. When It is Proximate.254 

3. When It is Proximate Especially with Regard to Us.255 

ii. The Dangerous Occasion is at Least the Usual Cause of Sin . 256 

1. We are Never More Strongly Tempted, More Dangerously Disposed 

to Sin, Than When in the Occasion of Sin.256 

2. Because of the Withdrawal of Grace.257 

XLIV. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. ON AVOIDING BAD 

COMPANY.260 

i. Those Who are Just Must Avoid Bad Company if They Wish to 

Persevere in Virtue.260 

1. God is Holy at All Times and in All Places.260 

2. In the Company of Sinners Not Only Will You Not do What is 
Good, but You Will Very Often Imitate the Evil You See Them Do . 262 

ii. Sinners Must Avoid Bad Company if They Wish to Give Up Sin 

and Return to God .264 

1. It Drives Them Awa> from the Practice of Virtue.264 

2. It Makes Them Plunge More Deeply into Crime.264 





































CONTENTS 


XVII 


PAGE 

XLV. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. DANCES AND BALLS . . 267 

i. Dances and Balls are Proximate Occasions of Sin that Often 

Lead to Eternal Reprobation.267 

1. The Teaching of Sacred Scripture.267 

2. The Teaching of the Fathers.268 

3. The Teaching of Various Church Councils.268 

4. Reason.268 

ii. The Reasons Given to Justify Balls and Dances are Very 

Frivolous.269 

XLVI. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. ROBBERY—LARCENY 272 

i. The Gravity of Theft.272 

1. The Seventh Commandment Forbids Us to Take and Keep Unjustly 

What Belongs to Another and Also Unjustly to Cause Injury to Our 
Neighbor .272 

2. Theft is Contrary to the Natural Law.272 

3. Injustice is So Hated by All Men that the Very Name of Thief 

Brings with It Its Own Shame and Punishment.273 

ii. Theft and Fraud are Unfortunately Very Common.273 

1. People Cheat in Commerce.273 

2. Trustees Sin When They Do Not Faithfully Administer the Property 

of Widows and Orphans.273 

3. Workmen and Domestic Servants, Who Do Not Do Their Work 
Faithfully, Who Do Not Take Care of Their Masters’ Property, Who 
Steal under the Pretence of Compensation, Commit a Sin .... 274 

4. Those Who Contract Debts Which They Foresee They Will Not be 
Able to Pay, or Who Do Not Make an Effort to Pay Their Debts . 274 

5. Those Who Shelter Thieves or Receive Stolen Goods.274 

6. Those Who Find Something that Was Lost, and Do Not Strive to 

Discover the Owner.274 

7. Children Who Take the Property of Their Parents.275 

8. Usurers are Guilty of Theft.275 

iii. The Reasons Given to Justify Theft.275 

iv. The Evils Caused by Theft and the Punishment Which It 

Deserves.275 

1. Spiritual Evils.275 

2. Temporal Evils.275 

XLVII. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. RESTITUTION . . 278 

i. Gravity of the Obligation of Making Restitution.278 

ii. Who are Bound by This Obligation.279 

1. Because of the Property of Others Which They Possess .... 280 

2. Unjust Usurpation, i.e., Theft or Larceny.280 

3. On Account of Injury Caused.280 

iii. How the Obligation Should Be Fulfilled.. . . .281 

1. The Object Must Be Restored Such as It is, if It Still Exists . . 281 

2. To Whom Restitution Must Be Made . 282 

3. Restitution Should Be Made Promptly.282 

XLVIII. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. ALMSGIVING . . 285 

i. It is Our Duty to Give Alms.285 

1. God Has Commanded It.285 

2. This Obligation is Based Also on the Relations Which the Poor Have 

with Us. 

ii. It is Our Interest to Give Alms.288 


































XV111 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 

iii. How to Give Alms. # .290 

1. Give with Kindness and a Pure Intention.290 

2. Give Generously.290 

3. Give with Discretion.291 

4. Give Alms at a Suitable Time.291 

XLIX. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. FALSE TESTIMONY . 293 

i. Gravity of the Sin of False Testimony.293 

1. It Wounds Truth.293 

2. It Wounds Charity.293 

3. It Wounds Justice.293 

4. It Wounds Religion.294 

ii. Punishment of This Sin.294 

L. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. BACKBITING—DETRAC¬ 
TION .296 

i. There is Nothing so Common as Backbiting.296 

1. It Can Be Committed in Many Different Ways.296 

2. Facility of Slandering.299 

3. Detraction Does all the More Injury because of the Great Number of 

People Who are Addicted to It.3°° 

ii. There is Nothing More Difficult to Repair than the Conse¬ 
quences of This Sin.30° 

1. Because of the Good Name that Must Be Restored.3 01 

2. Reparation is Very Difficult on the Part of Him Who is Bound to 

Make It.302 

LI. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. LYING.305 

i. The Gravity of the Sin and Its Effects.305 

1. A Lie Offends God.305 

2. Lying Injures Society.306 

3. The Liar Injures Himself.306 

ii. Frivolous Excuses Given to Justify Lying.307 

LII. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. RASH JUDGMENT ... 310 

i. How Much Rash Judgment is Opposed to the Law of God and to 

Christian Charity . 310 

1. It Does an Injury to God.310 

2. It Inflicts Injustice on Our Neighbor.312 

ii. Baneful Effects of Rash Judgment.313 

1. Contempt of Others, Pride, Self-Love.313 

2. It Exposes the Sinner to Be Condemned without Mercy .... 313 

LIII. THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. IMPURE THOUGHTS 

AND DESIRES.316 

i. When Bad Thoughts are Sins.316 

ii. When They are Not Sins.317 

iii. Means of Overcoming Temptations to Impurity.318 

LIV. THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. UNLAWFUL DESIRES 

FOR TEMPORAL GOODS.320 

i. We are Forbidden to Wish to Get Possession of the Goods of 

Others by Unjust Means.320 

ii. We are Forbidden to be Attached to, or Ambitious of, Riches . . 321 

iii. The Spirit of Poverty.322 







































CONTENTS 


xix 


PAGE 

LV. THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH.325 

i. The Church Has Power to Make Laws Binding on All Christians 32s 

ii. The End the Church Had in View in Giving Us These Laws . . 326 

LVI. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH. TO 

HEAR MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS .... 329 

i. Of All Sacrifices that of the Mass Gives Most Glory to God . . 329 

ii. The Sacrifice of the Mass is the Most Beneficial to Man . . .331 

LVII. THE SECOND AND THIRD COMMANDMENTS OF THE 
CHURCH. ANNUAL CONFESSION AND PASCHAL 
COMMUNION. 335 

i. To What We are Obliged by the Precept of the Paschal Com¬ 
munion .335 

ii. How We Should Prepare Ourselves to Fulfil This Duty . . . 336 

1. A Serious Examination of Conscience Preceded by Fervent Prayer . 336 

2. Sincere Sorrow.337 

3. A Humble and Sincere Confession.337 

4. Finally, Penance and Satisfaction.338 

LVIII. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH. 

HOLYDAYS AND FEASTS OF OBLIGATION.339 

i. The Feasts of Our Lord.339 

ii. The Feasts of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints .340 

LIX. THE FIFTH AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE 
CHURCH. THE FAST OF LENT, QUARTER-TENSE, 
VIGILS, AND FRIDAY ABSTINENCE.342 


i. Precept Regarding the Fast. 342 

1. Lent. 342 

2. Quarter-Tense. 343 

3. Vigils . 343 

ii. How We Must Fulfil This Precept. 343 

1. We Must Fast in a Spirit of Penance.343 

2. To Fasting We Must Join Prayer and Alms-Giving .344 

iii. Abstinence on Fridays.344 

LX. ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS . . .346 

i. It is Possible to Observe the Commandments.346 

ii. Reasons for Observing the Commandments.347 

iii. Manner of Observing the Commandments.348 


LXI. THE FEAR OF GOD.350 

i. Motives. 35 ° 

ii. The Advantages It Procures for Us . . .. 352 


iii. The Confidence Which Should Accompany Our Fear of God . . 354 


LXII. THE SERVICE OF GOD .... 

i. Motives. 

1. The Rights Which God Has over Us . 

2. It is Our Own Interest to Serve God . 
i° The Most Solid Happiness in This Life 
2° Eternal Happiness in the Next Life . 

ii. How We Must Serve God. 


358 

358 

358 

360 

360 

361 


362 


































XX 


CONTENTS 


PAQS 


1. We Must Give Our Whole Service to God. 363 

2. We Must Serve God Joyfully. 364 

LXIII. SANCTIFYING GRACE. 369 

i. Effects of Sanctifying Grace. 369 

ii. Perseverance in Grace. 37 2 


LX IV. ACTUAL GRACE.376 

i. God Gives Us Different Graces to Excite' Us to the Love and 

Practice of What is Good.376 

ii. Wonderful Effects of These Graces. 377 

iii. Means Appointed by God for Bestowing Graces on Us . . . . 378 

iv. How Necessary This Help is to Us.378 

v. We are Free to Resist Grace, but It is Very Dangerous to Do So . 379 

LXV. THE ABUSE OF GRACE.383 

i. What is the Crime of Him Who Abuses Grace.383 

ii. What is the Misery of Him Who Abuses Grace.384 


LXVI. HOPE.388 

i. What Hope is and What is Its Object .388 

ii. The Grounds of Our Hope are the Goodness of God, His Promises, 

and the Merits of Jesus Christ. 389 

iii. One Sins Against Hope (i) by Despair, (2) by Presumption . . 391 


LXVII. PRAYER. 

i. Necessity and Advantages of Prayer. 

1. God Wishes Us to Pray to Him. 

2. Our Own Interest Urges Us to Pray.. . . 

ii. Conditions Required for Efficacious Prayer. 

1. We Must Ask for the Things that Have Reference to the Glory of 

God and Our Own Salvation. 

2. We Should Pray with the Requisite Dispositions. 


394 

394 

394 

395 

397 


397 

398 


LXVI 11 . PRAYER. WHEN AND FOR WHOM WE SHOULD PRAY 402 


i. When We Should Pray.402 

ii. For Whom We Should Pray.■ . 404 

LXIX. THE GRACE OF BAPTISM.407 

i. Excellence of the Grace of Baptism.407 

1. Union with the Father. . . 407 

2. Union with the Son.408 

3. Union with the Holy Ghost.409 

ii. Duties Which This Grace Imposes on Us .410 

1. To Avoid What It Forbids.410 

2. To Practise What It Commands.411 

LXX. THE GRACE OF CONFIRMATION. DISPOSITIONS FOR 

RECEIVING THE HOLY GHOST.415 

i. How Much You Need the Holy Ghost.415 

1. The Holy Ghost is a Comforter in Sorrow.415 

2. He is a Physician in Sickness.416 

3. He is a Protector Who Defends Man against His Enemies . . .417 

ii. Dispositions with Which We Should Receive the Holy Ghost . 418 

1. Retirement.418 







































CONTENTS 


XXI 


2. Prayer . . . 

3. Purity of Soul 


PAGE 

. 419 
. 419 


LXXI. HUMAN RESPECT .422 

i. Unworthy Conduct.. 

1. Shameful Slavery. .*.*.*.* 422 

2. Contemptible Cowardice. *’’’*] 423 

ii. How Sinful Human Respect is .424 

1. Human Respect Destroys the Foundation of All Religion in the Heart 

of Msn .. 425 

2. It Makes Man Fall into the Most Criminal Apostasies.425 

3. How Does This Happen?.426 


LXXII. NECESSITY OF PENANCE. 

i. Penance is Necessary for Sinners, to Enable Them to Arise out of 
Sin. 

1. As an Act of Justice. 

2. The Remedy. 


428 

428 

428 

430 


ii. The Just Also Have Need of Penance to Preserve Them 


Sin 


from 


. 431 


LXXIII. THE QUALITIES OF PENANCE 

i. Let Your Penance Be Prompt . . . 

ii. Penance Should Be Sincere and Real 

1. It Must Spring from the Heart . . . 

2. It Must Be Manifested in Works 


435 

435 

437 

438 

439 


LXXIV. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. EXAMINATION OF 

CONSCIENCE.442 

i. Matter of the Examination.442 

ii. What Rule Should Be Followed in Making the Examination 

and How Much Time Should Be Given to It.443 


LXXV. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. CONTRITION ... 447 

i. Necessity of Contrition .447 

1. Proved from S. Scripture.447 

2. From Reason.448 

ii. Qualities of a Good Contrition .449 

1. It Should Be Supernatural in Its Source and Motives.449 

2. It Should Be Universal in Its Object.450 

3. It Should Be Efficacious and Firm in Its Purpose of Amendment . 450 

LXXVI. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. CONFESSION ... 452 

i. The Necessity of Confession.452 

ii. The Qualities of a Good Confession.454 

1. The Sinner Must Confess His Sins with Sincerity.454 

2. He Must Have a Profound Humility, Making no Excuse .... 457 

LXXVII. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. FREQUENT CON¬ 
FESSION . 459 

i. The Advantages of Good and Frequent Confession. 459 

1. To Sinners .459 

2. To the Just.461 

ii. Misery of Those Who Keep Away from Confession. 462 

1. Their Sins Increase.462 








































XXII 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

2. Their Bad Habits Grow Stronger.. 462 

3. They Expose Themselves to the Danger of Final Impenitence . . 463 

LXXVIII. PERSEVERANCE.465 

i. The Obligation of Persevering in Grace.465 

1. The Danger from Which We Have Emerged.465 

2. The Combats We Have to Sustain in This Life.466 

3. The Road over Which We Must Travel.467 

ii. The Most Efficacious Means of Perseverance.469 

1. Distrust of Self.469 

2. Frequent Reception of the Sacraments.469 

3. Prayer.470 

LXXIX. RELAPSE .472 

i. The Relapsing Sinner Inflicts a Greater Injury on God .... 472 

1. A Relapse Usually Contains More Malice.472 

2. A Relapse Contains More Ingratitude.473 

ii. The State of the Sinner after Relapse is Worse than It Was 

Before. 474 

1. Relapse Renders Sorrow Doubtful.474 

2. The Conversion of the Relapsing Sinner Becomes Very Difficult . . 475 

a) Greater Obstacles are Opposed to His Conversion.476 

b) The Remedies that Might Effect a Cure Become Useless to Him . 477 

LXXX. ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION. 479 

i. Union of the Soul with Christ . ..479 

1. A Most Intimate Union, of Which Christ Himself Has Given us a 

Most Touching Idea.480 

2. A Union Most Glorious for Us.481 

ii. The Advantages Found in the Graces Which Christ Communi¬ 
cates to the Soul.482 

1. The Holy Eucharist as a Food.483 

2. The Holy Eucharist as a Remedy.48s 

LXXXI. DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING, AND THANKSGIVING 

AFTER, HOLY COMMUNION.488 

i. What We Should Do Before Communion.488 

1. The Holy Eucharist is a Great Mystery.488 

2. It is a Sacrament of the Living and Must Be Received in the State of 

Grace .489 

3. It is a Mystery of Love.490 

ii. What We Should Do after Communion.491 

1. Thank the Divine Guest.491 

2. Converse Lovingly with Him.492 

3. Resolve to Remain Inseparably United with Him.492 

LXXXII. FREQUENT COMMUNION.495 

i. There is Nothing More Pressing Than the Motives Which Urge 

Us to Communicate Frequently.495 

1. Our Lord Desires and Invites Us.495 

2. Our Own Interest Urges Us to Communicate Often.496 

ii. Frivolous Excuses Given for Not Receiving Holy Communion 

Frequently . 49 g 

LXXXIII. SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION. 5a2 

i. The Crime of a Sacrilegious Communion.202 







































CONTENTS xxiii 

PAGE 

1. It is a Monstrous Union of the Impure Flesh of the Sinner with the 

Pure Body of Christ.503 

2. It is a Direct and Personal Attack on God.S°3 

ii. The Punishment of a Sacrilegious Communion. 5°5 

1. It is Frequently an Occasion of Death.505 

2. It Causes the Loss of the Spiritual Life of the Soul.506 

LXXXIV. EXTREME UNCTION.508 

i. Effects.508 

1. Spiritual Comfort .5°9 

2. Extreme Unction Helps to Restore the Health of the Body if Such is 

Beneficial to the Soul.510 

ii. Ceremonies of Extreme Unction.51° 

iii. Dispositions Required to Receive This Sacrament Worthily . .511 

LXXXV. HOLY ORDERS . . ,.513 

i. Power of the Priesthood.513 

1. Power over Christ’s Real Body.513 

2. Power over His Mystical Body.514 

ii. There is Nothing in This World More Beneficial Than the 

Priesthood .517 

1. By the Exercise of the Ministry.517 

2. By the Efficacy of Prayer.518 

LXXXVI. MARRIAGE. HOW ONE SHOULD PREPARE FOR IT . 521 

i. Call to the Married State.521 

ii. A Virtuous Intention in Entering It.523 

iii. How to Render Oneself Worthy of the Grace Which Christ Has 

Attached to This Sacrament.524 

LXXXVII. MARRIAGE. HOW TO LIVE IN THE MARRIED 

STATE .526 

i. Mutual Love.526 

ii. Fidelity (i) in the Use of Goods, (2) in the Use of Matrimony, 

(3) In Preserving the Sanctity of the Marriage State .... 528 

iii. The Duty of Mutual and Charitable Forbearance.529 

LXXXVIII. MORTAL SIN.532 

i. Sin is the Enemy of God.532 

1. The Most Daring Rebellion.532 

2. The Most Outrageous Contempt.533 

ii. Sin is the Enemy of Man.534 

1. God Loves the Works of His Hands.534 

2. In Revolting against God the Sinner Makes a Bad Use of Creatures . 536 

LXXXIX. VENIAL SIN.539 

i. It is a Proof of the Little Love the Sinner Has for God .... 539 

ii. And of the Little Zeal He Has for His Own Salvation . . . 541 

XC. PRIDE ..544 

i. How the Proud Man Resists God. 544 

1. Pride Robs the Creator of the Glory that is Due to Him .... 544 

2. It Destroys Fraternal Charity . . . 545 

3. It is the Source of Innumerable Other Sins.54b 




































XXIV 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

ii. How God Resists the Proud Man.546 

1. God Resists the Proud.546 

2. The Proud Man Who Despises Others Becomes in Turn the Object of 

Their Contempt.547 

3. Pride Destroys All Virtues.548 


XCI. AVARICE.550 

i. The Marks of Avarice . 550 

1. The Avaricious Man Places His Confidence in His Riches instead of 

Trusting in God. 550 

2. He is Eagerly Intent on Hoarding up Riches.551 

3. Losses Afflict Him Grievously. 5$2 

4. He Does Not Use His Wealth as Justice and Charity Require . . . 552 

ii. The Difficulties of Correcting Oneself of This Vice .553 

1. Success in His Undertakings Does Not Satisfy the Avaricious Man . 553 

2. The Reverses of Life Do Not Correct Him, but Generally Produce the 

Opposite Effect. 554 

3. Infirmities and Natural Decay Have Still Less Effect in Correcting 

This Vice.554 


XCII. ENVY.557 

i. There is Nothing More Detestable Than the Sin of Envy . . . 557 

1. There is Such Cowardice in Envy That Those Who are Guilty of This 

Sin, Pretend to Be Free from It.557 

2. There is Nothing More Cruel Than Envy.558 

3. Envy Produces Treachery, Deceit, Treason.559 

ii. Although There is Nothing More Dangerous Than Envy, It is 

Very Rare to Find People Who Strive to Free Themselves from 
This Fault .560 

1. The Envious Man Does Not See His Sin.560 

2. He is so Hardened that He Does Not Wish to Give Up His Sin . . 560 

3. He is a Proud Man Who Does Not Wish to Humble Himself nor to 

Confess His Sins.561 


XCIII. ANGER.563 

i. Anger Deserving of Censure in Its Cause .563 

1. Anger Arises from an Inordinate Love of Self.564 

2. From a Too Great Attachment to Worldly Goods.564 

3. From Want of Submission to the Will of God.564 

ii. Anger Pernicious in Its Effects .565 

1. It Makes Man His Own Enemy by the Evils It Causes to Both Body 

and Soul.565 

2. It Makes Man the Enemy of His Neighbor.566 

3. It Makes Man the Enemy of God.567 


XCIV. GLUTTONY. INTEMPERANCE AND DRUNKENNESS . . 570 

i. The Intemperate Man is a Man without Reason .570 

1. Intemperance Injures the Health.570 

2. Intemperance Ruins One’s Property.571 

3. Intemperance Impairs Reason.571 

ii. The Drunkard is a Man without Religion.572 

1. Drunkenness Deprives Man of the Grace of God.573 

2. Drunkenness is the Source of Many Other Sins.573 

3. Drunkenness Places the Soul in Grave Danger.574 

XCV. SLOTH.576 

i. It is Very Dangerous to Be Slothful.576 








































CONTENTS 


xxv 


FAGB 


1. Sloth Closes the Door to All that is Good . . *.576 

2. It Opens the Door to All that is Evil.577 


ii. Whatever a Man may Do, He is Idle if He is Not Engaged in the 
Work of His Salvation .579 

1. This Opinion Founded on Authority.579 

2. On Reason.579 

3. On the Admission of Slothful Persons.580 


XCVI. HUMILITY . 

i. Motives of Humility .... 

1. Man as a Man. 

2. As a Sinner. 

3. As a Christian. 

ii. Advantages of Humility . . 

iii. Practice of Humility . . . 

1. Humility Should Be in the Heart 

2. It Should Be Solid .... 


583 

583 

583 

584 

584 

585 

587 

587 

588 


XCVII. MEEKNESS.590 

i. The Advantages of Meekness.590 

1. Meekness Procures for Us the Grace of God.590 

2. And the Friendship of Our Neighbor.591 

3. And Renders Us Masters of Ourselves.592 

ii. Practice of Meekness .592 

1. To Repress All Feelings of Anger.593 

2. To Yield to the Anger of Others and Employ Suitable Means to 

Calm It.593 

XCVIII. TEMPERANCE .596 

i. In What Temperance Consists.596 

ii. Advantages of Temperance.599 

1. Temporal Advantages.599 

2. Advantages for the Future Life.600 


XCIX. CHASTITY .603 

i. Excellence and Advantages of Chastity .603 

1. It Makes Us Like to the Blessed Spirits.603 

2. It Makes Us in a Certain Manner Like to God Himself.604 

ii. Necessity of Chastity .605 

iii. Practices by Which to Preserve Chastity .607 

1. Not to Trust in Our Own Strength.607 

2. To Resist from the Beginning.. . 607 

3. To Avoid Idleness.607 

4. To Avoid Intemperance and All Kinds of Excesses. 608 

5. To Avoid the Occasions of Sin.608 

6. In Time of Temptation to Think on the Passion and Death of Jesus 

Christ.608 


C. TEMPTATIONS.610 

i. The Different Temptations to Which Man is Subject .... 610 

1. The Attraction of Pleasure.612 

2. Vain-Glory.. . 612 

3. The Temptation of Self-Interest.614 

ii. Means of Overcoming Temptation .614 

1. Vigilance.615 















































XXVI 


CONTENTS 


2. The Help of God 


FAQ]) 

617 


Cl. MORTIFICATION OF THE PASSIONS.619 

i The Reason that Obliges Us to Mortify Our Passions . . . .619 

1. Without Mortification There is No Solid Conversion.619 

2. Nor Perfect Virtue. 620 

3. Nor True Peace. 021 

ii. Means to Be Employed in Repressing the Passions .622 

1. To Resist Them at Once.. • • • • • • • * ^3 

2 To Practice the Virtues Opposed to the Vices that Trouble Us . . 623 

3. To Wage a Systematic and an Unceasing War against Our Passions . 623 


CII. FIDELITY IN SMALL THINGS.626 

i We Require as Much Virtue, Strength, and Courage to Practise 
Small Works Constantly as We Do to Perform Our Most Import- 

ant Duties .°2o 

ii. We Do Not Merit Less Glory before God by Punctuality in Small 
Matters Than by Fidelity in Great Affairs .627 


CIII. GOOD WORKS. 6 3 ° 

i. The Necessity of Good Works.630 


2 . Good Works, Therefore, are the Only Title that Can Secure for Us 
an Entrance into the Inheritance of the Lord.032 

ii. What are the Good Works Which God Demands of Us .... 633 

1. We Should Do the Works that are Suitable to Our State . . . .633 

2. We Should Do Them as God Wishes Us to Do Them.635 


CIV. RESPECT IN CHURCH.638 

i. The House of God Deserves Our Most Profound Respect and Most 

Perfect Devotion .638 

1. Our Churches are Houses of God.638 

2. Our Churches are Houses of Prayer.639 

ii. In What This Respect and Devotion Consist .641 

1. Going to Church with Holy Dispositions.641 

2. Acting Under the Influence of Faith While There.642 


CV. TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE, OR TRUE AND FALSE DE¬ 
VOTION .645 

i. What are the Qualities of True Virtue? .645 

1. It Must Be Sincere.645 

2. It Must Be Humble and without Ostentation.646 

3. It Must Be Constant and Persevering.647 


ii. Defects of Virtue Which is Only Apparent .648 

1. The Virtue of the Pharisees was Purely Exterior.648 

2. The Virtue of the Pharisees was Full of Ostentation.648 


CVI. FALSE CONSCIENCE.652 

i. The Sources of a False Conscience .652 

1. Errors of the Mind.652 

2. The Passions of the Heart.653 

3. Worldly Customs and Usages.654 


ii. What are the Remedies for a False Conscience? .654 

1. Form Your Conscience According to the Maxims of the Faith . . . 655 

2. Make a Firm and Sincere Resolution to Observe the Law of God . 656 




































CONTENTS 


XXVll 


PAGE 


CVII. A GOOD CONSCIENCE ..659 

i. Nothing Brings More Happiness and Consolation Than the Peace 

and Tranquillity of a Good Conscience. 659 

ii. There is Nothing More Bitter and Insupportable Than the Re¬ 
proaches, the Remorse, and the Torment of a Guilty Conscience . 660 


CVIII. HYPOCRISY.663 

i. Hypocrisy is a Most Abominable Vice in the Sight of God . . . 663 

ii. Hypocrisy is a Vice that is Most Injurious to Salvation . . . 666 

1. Hypocrisy Destroys True Piety.666 

2. It Destroys the Merits of Good Works.667 

3. It Usually Leads to Eternal Ruin.667 

CIX. SICKNESS.670 

i. Advantages of Sickness .670 

1. God Wishes to Make Us Enter into Ourselves and Atone for Our Sins 670 

2. God Wishes to Prevent Us from Committing Sin Again.671 

ii. Since God Afflicts Men with Sickness Either to Make Sinners 

Enter into Themselves or to Prove the Virtue of the Just, We 
Should . . . . . . ..673 

1. Accept Sickness in a Spirit of Penance.673 

2. Bear It Patiently and with Resignation . ..674 


CX. TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS. 

i. Advantages of Suffering to Sinners . . . 

1. Suffering Withdraws Man from Sin . 

2. Suffering Helps Sinners to Atone for Their Sins 

ii. Advantage of Suffering to the Just Man . 

1. Suffering Nourishes His Faith. 

2. It Strengthens His Hope. 

3. It Perfects His Charity. 


677 


677 

6 77 
679 


680 

681 

682 

683 


CXI. GRATITUDE AND INGRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD ... 687 

i. What Should Move Us to Show Gratitude to God. 687 

1. Gratitude is a Natural Virtue.687 

2. It is a Positive Commandment.688 

ii. In What Does This Gratitude Which We Owe to God Consist 

and How is It Practised?. 689 


CXII. DISCORDS, DIVISIONS, LAWSUITS .693 

i. Sowers of Discord are the Enemies of God . .693 

ii. They are the Enemies of Man and of Society.696 

iii. They are Their Own Enemies.697 

CXIII. AMBITION . 699 

i. Guilt and Misery of Ambition.699 

ii. Danger of Ambition .. 7 01 

1. Ambition Destroys Holiness and Innocence . . 7 02 

2. It Destroys Piety and Religion. 7 02 

3. It Abuses the Grace of God. 7°3 

CXIV. TITLES, DIGNITIES, HONORS. 7°5 

i. Vanity and Danger of Worldly Dignities. 7°5 






































xxviii 


CONTENTS 


1. Vanity of Worldly Honors .... 

2. Worldly Dignities Dangerous to Salvation 

3. Often the Cause of Great Evils . . . 

ii. Obligations of the Great. 

1. With Reference to God. 

2. With Reference to Their Inferiors . 

3. With Reference to Themselves 


PAG* 

705 
, 706 

706 


707 

707 


708 


709 


CXV. RICHES AND PROSPERITY.711 

i. Riches are Usually Acquired by Unlawful Means .711 

ii. The Possession of Riches is Generally Dangerous .712 

iii. Riches are Baneful in Their Effects .714 


CXVI. FLATTERY.717 

i. How Culpable it is to Flatter.717 

1. By Flattery You Betray the Interests of Your Brethren ... . 717 

2. And the Interests of the Public.718 

3. And the Interests of Religion.719 

ii. How Much He Who Loves Flattery is to be Pitied. 720 

1. He Does not See His Faults.720 

2. He Will not Have any Safe Rules of Conduct.721 


CXVII. POVERTY .723 

i. The Advantages of Poverty.723 

1. It Assures the Salvation of the Poor ..723 

2. It Gives a Special Right to the Eternal Kingdom.724 

ii. The Obligations of the Poor.726 

1. Poverty must be Voluntary. 726 

2. The Poor Should be Patient in Bearing Their Sufferings and In¬ 
dustrious in Alleviating Them.727 

CXVIII. WORK .729 

i. The Obligation That Binds Us to Work .729 

1. Being Men, Work is Inseparable from Our Nature.729 

2. Labor is the Just Punishment of Sin, Imposed on All the Children 

of Adam. . 730 

3. As Christians We are Obliged to Imitate Christ, Who Worked from 

His Earliest Youth.730 

ii. Means of Sanctifying Our Work .731 

1. As Men We must Work with Prudence.731 

2. As Sinners We Should Labor in a Spirit of Penance.732 


3. As Christians We Should Unite Ourselves with Jesus Christ . . . 733 


CXIX. GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 

i. Motives That Should Induce Us to Apply Our Time Well . 

1. Time is Valuable. 

2. Time is Short. 

3. The Loss of Time is Irreparable. 

ii. How We Should Employ Time. 

1. We Should Atone for the Past. 

2. We Should be Careful of the Present. 

3. We Should Take Precautions against the Future. 


735 

735 

735 

736 

737 

738 

738 

739 

740 


CXX. FRATERNAL CORRECTION.743 

i. The Obligation of Exercising Fraternal Correction. 743 











































CONTENTS xxix 

PAQB 

1. It is Founded on the Love We Owe to God.743 

2. And on the Duty of Charity Towards Our Neighbor.744 

3. And on the Interest which Each One Should Take in the Public 

Welfare .745 

ii. Who are Bound to Fulfil This Duty.745 

1. This Duty is Obligatory on All Who have Authority over Others . 745 

2. And on Each Individual, no Matter what His State or Position . . 745 

iii. How to Fulfil this Duty .746 

CXXI. ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS. 75 o 

i. Obligation of Procuring the Salvation of Our Neighbor .... 750 

ii. Motives that Should Induce Us to Procure the Salvation of Our 

Neighbor. 75 1 

iii. Conditions which Zeal Should Possess in Order that It may 

Succeed.752 

INDEX. 755 


























- 


. '..V* . 






Instructions on Christian Morality 


i 

MOTIVES AND MEANS OF RELIGIOUS 
INSTRUCTION 

“Come children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” 

Ps. xxxiii, 12) 

We are your pastors, your salvation is very dear to us. 

“The charity of Christ presseth us.” (2 Cor. v, 14) 

“God is my witness how I long after you all in the bowels of 
Jesus Christ.” (Phil, i, 8) 

We wish to teach you what you must do in order to be truly happy. 
This is why, assisted by divine grace, we say with the Apostles that 
we shall not cease to announce to you the word of God. 

“We give ourselves continually to the ministry of the word.” 
(Acts vi, 4) 

I will show you to-day the obligation under which you are of re¬ 
ceiving religious instruction and the means which you can and should 
employ for that object. 

I. MOTIVES OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 

i. God commands it. 2. Religious Knowledge essentially Neces¬ 
sary. 3. The Evils that result from Ignorance of Religion. 

1. God Commands it. 

The Sacred Scriptures show us the divine will in this matter in 
the clearest terms. 

“These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart, 
and thou shalt tell them to thy children: and thou shalt meditate upon 
them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and 
rising, and thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand.” (Deut. 
vi, 8) 

“Lay up these my words in your hearts and minds: and hang them 
for a sign on your hands, and place them between your eyes. Teach 

1 


2 


MOTIVES OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 


your children that they meditate on them.” (Deut. xi, 1&-19) 

In the New Law the first command which Jesus Christ gave His 
Apostles when He sent them out to establish His Church, was to in¬ 
struct the people:— 

“Going therefore, teach ye all nations.” (Matth. xxviii, 19.) He 
makes this one of the principal duties of every pastor. 

2. Religious Knowledge is Essentially Necessary. 

Why? Because it consists in knowing God, the end for which 
He created us, the worship we should give to Him, the command¬ 
ments we have to observe, the infinite reward He has prepared for 
us, and the infallible means of obtaining that reward. 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Heb. xi, 16) 

But in order to have or to preserve that faith one must be instructed. 

Two things must be distinguished in faith: (1) the disposition of 
our minds and hearts to believe all that is revealed; (2) the particular 
truths which we should believe. The first comes from God alone. 

“It is the gift of God.” (Eph. ii, 8) 

As to the truths we should believe, in the ordinary course of Prov¬ 
idence, God teaches them to us only by preaching, reading, etc. 

“How shall they believe . . . without a preacher ? . . . Faith cometh 
by hearing.” (Rom. x, 14, 17) 

We are strictly obliged to observe the Commandments. 

“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments.” (Matth. 
xix, 17) 

It is necessary then to know the Commandments. 

Prayer is absolutely necessary for us. 

“We ought always to pray and not to faint.” (Luke xviii, 1) 

We must therefore learn how to pray. 

Our own interest urges us to be instructed in religion. 

“Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that have not known Thee; 
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy name.” (Ps. 
lxxviii, 6) 

“All men are vain in whom there is not the knowledge of God.” 
(Wis. xiii, 1) 

In other branches of knowledge there is nothing but vanity and 
danger, unless we are acquainted with the science of salvation. In 
order to work efficaciously at this important affair of salvation, three 
things are necessary: we must know the good we are to do and the 
evil we are to avoid; we must firmly resolve to avoid the evil and to 
do the good; and, finally, we must put that resolution into practice. 
But what great power religious instruction has to produce these three 
results! It is a torch that enlightens the mind. 


IGNORANCE OF RELIGION 


3 


“Thy word is a lamp to my feet.” (Ps. cxviii, 105) 

It makes us avoid errors, evil ways, and the illusions of the devil. 
It enkindles in the heart a love of virtue and a horror of vice. Finally, 
religious instruction urges us to do good and to avoid evil. Those 
who are well instructed in religion are firm in their faith, will fall 
less frequently, will rise again more easily, and feel at least 
compunction. 

3. Evils that Result from Ignorance of Religion. 

Ignorance united to pride has been the cause of the heresies, per¬ 
secutions, forgetfulness of God, indifference with regard to God and 
salvation, and all the other disorders with which the world is filled. 

“If they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of 
glory.” (1 Cor. ii, 8) 

“The hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he 
doth a service to God.” (John xvi, 2) 

Whence arises the forgetfulness of God that reigns in the world 
to-day? Ought we to be astonished that God is so little loved, when 
we remember that He is so little known? It is the same as regards 
the indifference to salvation, contempt of religion, blasphemies, 
profanation of holy things, and the carelessness with which parents 
instruct their children. Very often it is from ignorance that injustice 
in business and contracts, neglect of the duties of one’s state of life, 
etc., arise. In a word, it is ignorance that causes the loss of count¬ 
less myriads of souls. 

There is no question here of invincible ignorance. 

“My ignorances do not remember.” (Ps. xxiv, 7) 

“Invincible ignorance will not be imputed to you as a fault; but 
ignorance ceases to be invincible and will be imputed as a fault, when 
you can acquire the necessary knowledge and neglect to do so.” 
(S. Aug.) 

The ignorance of the greater number of Christians is not invincible. 

“He would not understand that he might do well.” (Ps. xxxv, 4) 

“Who have said to God: Depart from us, we desire not the 
knowledge of thy ways.” (Job xxi, 14). “So that they are inex¬ 
cusable.” (Rom. 1, 20) 

“Who as it were on purpose have revolted from Him, and would 
not understand all His ways.” (Job xxxiv, 27) 

“Therefore is my people led away captive, because they had not 
knowledge.” (Is. v, 13) 

“Grow (therefore) in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. iii, 18) 

“Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death. (Ps. xn, 4) 


4 


MEANS OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 

“Come ye to Him and be enlightened.” (Ps. xxxiii, 6) 

“If any man know not, he shall not be known.” (i Cor. xiv, 38) 

II. MEANS OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 

1. Acquiring a Knowledge of Religion. 2. Vain Excuses of those 
who Neglect it. 3. Manner of Assisting with Profit at Instructions. 

1. There are two means of acquiring a knowledge of religion ,— 
private instructions at home and public instructions. 

1. Private Instructions 

Those who can do so should read good books and instruct those 
who cannot read. 

“They that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all 
eternity.” (Dan. xii, 3) 

“If any of you err from the truth, and one convert him, he must 
know that he who causes a sinner to be converted from the error of 
his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude 
of sins.” (Jas. v, 19 sq.) 

Of all the works of mercy this is perhaps the most pleasing to God 
and the most useful to our neighbor. Sooner or later it draws down 
the blessing of God on those who practise it. It requires time and 
patience, no doubt, to instruct those who are very ignorant; but think 
of the crown that awaits you, and the good that follows your work, 
of which God will keep account. Shall it be said that, while Satan 
finds his Apostles, Jesus Christ, the King of kings, cannot find persons 
zealous to make Him known? 

Fathers and mothers especially, and masters and mistresses, ought 
to give these familiar instructions to their children and their servants. 

“But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those 
of his house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 
(1 Tim. v, 8) 

God is pleased to pour down His blessings on families when parents 
neglect no means of instructing their children. That is why He 
blessed Abraham: 

“For I know that he will command his children, and his household 
after him, to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice.” 
(Gen. xviii, 19) 


Public Instructions 

Another way of gaining a knowledge of religion is to assist at pub¬ 
lic instructions and sermons. It is the duty of priests to give instruc¬ 
tions. 


HOW TO ASSIST AT RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 


5 


“They shall seek the law at his mouth.” (Malaeh. ii, 7) 

“Going therefore, teach ye all nations.” (Matth. xxviii, 19) 

Their teaching is the teaching of God Himself: 

“God as it were exhorting by us.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 

If Christ were still visible on earth, how eagerly people would run 
to hear Him speak! But when the priests of His Church give these 
instructions, is it not He Himself who speaks through their mouth? 
There are, then, special graces attached to their instructions. 

“He that is of God heareth the word of God.” (John viii, 47) 

2. Vain Excuses 

There are some who excuse their neglect of religious instruction by 
saying that they are already sufficiently instructed. But are they as 
well instructed as they should be? Do they know the fundamental 
truths of the religion they profess, the holiness and the spirit of the 
Gospel, the necessity for each one to strive after perfection accord¬ 
ing to his state, the means by which they can attain to that perfection? 
What illusions and errors many people labor under regarding these 
matters! It is very much to be feared that many who say, and believe, 
that they are instructed, may be among those of whom the Holy Ghost 
says: 

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; and the prudence of the 
prudent I will reject. (1 Cor. i, 19) 

“For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Rom. 
i, 22) 

Others say they have no time. 

“You have time to engage in worldly affairs, but you have no time 
to gain a knowledge of Christ, that is, to learn the wisdom of God.” 
(S. Paulinus) 

But: “What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and 
suffer the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

Is it the trouble of being instructed that discourages them? But 
does it not cost them more trouble and labor to gain the perishable 
goods of this world ? 

3. How to assist at Religious Instruction with Profit 

Before the instruction, pray to the Holy Ghost to enlighten your 
mind and to dispose your heart to receive the truths you are about to 
hear, as He disposed Lydia, “whose heart the Lord opened to attend 
to those things which were said by Paul.” (Acts xvi, 14). Do not 
be of the number of those “who love the truths that please them, but 
hate those to which their conduct is opposed, saying: 


6 


MEANS OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION 


“Speak pleasing things to us.” (S. Aug.) 

Be very attentive during the instruction, for it is God who speaks 
by the mouth of His priests: 

“He that heareth you, heareth Me.” (Luke x, 16) 

Moreover, do not the grandeur and the excellence of those things 
that form the subject of Christian instruction, deserve the greatest 
possible attention? 

After the instruction, beg of God the grace to put into practice what 
you have heard. This is the fruit and the object of all instruction. 

“By this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His com- 
mandments. He who saith that he knoweth Him and keepeth not 
His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (i John 
ii, 3 > 4 ) 

The knowledge of the word of God increases the guilt of those who 
do not profit by it. 

“My word shall not return to Me void.” (Is. lv, 2) 

“Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.” (Luke 
xi, 28) 




II 


DIVINE ORIGIN OF RELIGION 

“All things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known 
to you.” (John xv, 15) 

It is of vital importance to have a good knowledge of the funda¬ 
mental truths of the religion in which you have had the happiness to 
be born, and which you profess. It is important also to know the 
motives or grounds of your belief. A Christian who does not know 
them is exposed to grave dangers. I wish, then, to speak to you to¬ 
day of the religion which Jesus Christ came to establish on earth, and 
to prove its divine origin: I. By the holiness of its Author and of 
His doctrine; II. By the prophecies that foretold and the miracles 
that accompanied it; III. By its establishment in the world and by the 
martyrs it has produced. 


1. The Holiness of its Author and of His Doctrine 

1. The holiness of the founder of a religion, and of his doctrine, is 
an essential condition in judging whether that religion comes from 
God. But the life and teaching of Christ are so holy, that they alone 
would be sufficient to prove His divinity. He possessed all virtues in 
an infinitely perfect degree, without any admixture of defects. How 
submissive was He not to the commands of His Eternal Father! 

“I do always the things that please Him.” (John viii, 29) 

Virtues with regard to man: His whole life was given for the 
salvation of mankind. 

“I am not come to call the just, but sinners.” (Matth. ix, 13) 

“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life 
for his friends.” (John xv, 13) 

His goodness towards those who appealed to Him, towards those 
even who did not think of asking His help, or who were His enemies, 
His charity, His compassion for the poor and suffering; His mortifi¬ 
cation, His humility, His meekness. . . . 

“Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matth. 
xi, 29) 

“Which of you shall convince Me of sin.” (John viii, 46) 

7 


8 


DIVINE ORIGIN OF RELIGION 


“The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light; to 
them that dwell in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.” 
(Isa. ix, 2) 

2. The holiness of His doctrine. What grand, what holy and useful 
instructions does He not give us ? 

And first, as to God,—how sublime is the idea which the teaching 
of Christ gives us of Him! It shows us His perfections, His works, 
and our principal duties towards Him. If we pass to those things that 
concern our human nature, our state and our last end, we find in them 
the same light, the same wisdom, the same subjects of wonder. 

The very mysteries of religion, by the sublimity and the grandeur 
of the ideas they contain, give us ground for believing that that re¬ 
ligion comes from God. The mind of man could never have imagined 
such things. 

The commands and the prohibitions of religion concerning ourselves 
and our neighbor, show us its holiness no less clearly. It commands 
temperance and sobriety in all things, patience in adversity. It for¬ 
bids excessive ambition. 

With regard to our neighbor, religion commands us to consider all 
men as our brethren, and to love them as we love ourselves, not ex¬ 
cepting even our enemies. How beautiful is this moral law, and how 
worthy of God Himself! 

Let us admire also what that holy religion does to make pleasing to 
God those who follow its precepts and counsels. Interior and exter¬ 
ior graces; efficacy of prayers; help from the sacraments. There are 
many ways open to us by which to save our souls. 

“The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony 
of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.” (Ps. xviii, 8) 

“My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me.” (John vii, 16) 

11. prophecies and miracles 

Prophecies and miracles are the most certain proof of the mission of 
a man who proclaims that he has been sent by Almighty God, and of 
the divine origin of a religion. 

1. Prophecies .—There is nothing more undeniable than the proph¬ 
ecies, whether we consider those that foretold the coming of Jesus 
Christ or those spoken by Christ Himself. 

The prophets of the Old Law foretold so clearly all that regarded the 
Messias and the religion He was to bring to the world, that in a cer¬ 
tain manner they had written His history before He came. Our 
Lord Himself intimated this to the Jews: “Search the Scriptures 


PROPHECIES AND MIRACLES 


9 


and the same are they that give testimony of Me.” (John v, 39) 

In proof of His divinity and of His religion Christ foretold several 
events,—among others, His death, the denial of Peter, the treason of 
Judas. 

Truth of the prophecies . . . Proofs . . . their fulfilment. 

2. Miracles .—To prove more clearly the divinity of Christ and of 
His religion, miracles are added to prophecies. The Divine Redeemer 
Himself worked innumerable miracles. 

“The works which My Father hath given Me to perfect: the works 
themselves which I do, give testimony of Me, that the Father hath sent 
Me.” (John v, 36) 

His Apostles worked many miracles, and from their time to ours the 
gift of miracles has never ceased in the Church. 

Nothing could be more complete than the proofs of the reality of 
these miracles. First, it is evident that all these wonderful occurrences 
are true miracles, since they could not have been produced by any nat¬ 
ural cause. Such wonders could come only from God. In the 
second place, as to the certainty of these miracles, they are public 
events of so great importance, whether in themselves or in their results, 
that we are forced to believe Jesus Christ to be God, and His religion 
to be divine,—facts acknowledged by multitudes of witnesses, worthy 
of credit, who had no interest in deceiving, and who could not have 
deceived, even if they had wished to do so. 

“God also bearing them witness by signs and wonders, and divers 
miracles.” (Heb. ii, 4) 

“O Lord, how great are Thy works! Thy thoughts are exceeding 
deep.” (Ps. xci, 6) 

“This is the Lord’s doing; and it is wonderful in our eyes.” (Ps. 
cxvii, 25) 

“Deny the gift of miracles attributed to the Apostles, and you must 
admit a still greater miracle, namely, the promulgation of the Gospel 
and the propagation of the Christian faith throughout the world with¬ 
out the aid of miracles.” (S. Aug.) 

“How could the philosophers have believed, unless miracles had 
evidently given them faith in the unseen?” (S. Aug.) 

“Lord, if what we believe is not true, we have been deceived by 
Thee; for those things which we believe have been confirmed by signs 
and wonders that were caused by Thee alone.” (Rich, of S. Victor) 

But perhaps you will ask: Why do we see so few miracles in our 
day? The reason is that there is not now the same necessity for mir¬ 
acles as there was in the first ages of Christianity. Nevertheless God 
still works them from time to time. 


10 


DIVINE ORIGIN OF RELIGION 


III. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE WORLD, 

AND THE MARTYRS IT HAS PRODUCED 

1. There is nothing more interesting than the manner in which the 
religion of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world. It was not 
preached by rich, powerful, or learned men, nor by leaders of armies 
who could enforce their teaching by the sword. The Apostles were 
poor men, who did not possess either worldly riches or learning. 

And consider the obstacles they had to overcome,—obstacles caused 
by the prejudices and passions of men, and by the persecutions of all 
the powers of this world. 

To the many and great obstacles raised by men were added those 
raised by the evil spirit, who spared no efforts to make them greater. 
He held mankind in his power, he alone was adored in almost every 
part of the world. The Christian religion then did not find any favor¬ 
able disposition in the heart of man. It is this that makes us under¬ 
stand what great miracles were necessary for its propagation through¬ 
out the world, a propagation that was as rapid as it was general. 

'‘The foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that He may con¬ 
found the wise: . . . And things that are not, that He might bring to 
nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His sight.” 
(i Cor. i, 27-29) 

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness 
of God is stronger than men.” {Ibid., 25) 

“I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because 
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast re¬ 
vealed them to little ones.” (Matth, xi, 25) 

2. Martyrs .—See the multitude of those witnesses to the truth and 
confessors of the faith; examine the cause, the fearful severity of 
their torments, and the manner in which they suffered, and you will 
find again the hand of God stamped there plainly, as in all His other 
works. It is only God who could have given them such strength and 
courage. 

“And He [Christ] commanded us to preach to the people, and to 
testify that it is He who was appointed by God to be Judge of the liv¬ 
ing and of the dead.” (Acts x, 42) 

This explains their courageous reply to both Jews and pagans: “We 
ought to obey God rather than man.” (Acts v, 29) 

It was said that the blood of martyrs was the seed of Christians. 

“The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians; as often as we are 
cut down, many others become Christians.” (Tert.) 

“As concerning this sect, we know that it is gainsaid everywhere.” 
(Acts xxviii, 22) 


CHRISTIAN MARTYRS 


ii 


And what was the cause for which these generous martyrs suffered 
torments and death? What humiliating reflections for the Christians 
of to-day! We cannot listen without shuddering to an account of the 
torments the early Christians were forced to endure. No one but 
God could have given such strength and courage to them. Let us ac¬ 
knowledge, then, that a religion established by so many miracles can 
come from Heaven alone. 

“If the Gospel was not true, no one would shed his blood in its de¬ 
fence.” (S. Jerome) 

“The Master has been suspended on the Cross, the disciples have been 
imprisoned, and the religion increases each day.” {Ibid.) 

“This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that is 
for ever: all they that keep it shall come to life; but they that have for¬ 
saken it, to death. . . . We are happy, O Israel, because the things that 
are pleasing to God are made known to us.” (Baruch iv, 1-4) 

“Return, O Jacob, and take hold of it, walk in the way by its bright¬ 
ness, in the presence of the light thereof. Give not thy honor to 
another, nor thy dignity to a strange nation.” {Ibid., 2-3) 


Ill 


FAITH 

“He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe 
in His name.” (John i, 12) 

Faith is a gift of God by which we believe. It is the first of the 
theological virtues, without which no one can be saved. It is the hom¬ 
age of our reason, which we render to the authority of God, in order 
to believe the truths He has revealed to us, but it should also be the 
homage of our will and of our heart, in order to do what He has 
commanded. I will show you: I. What the faith of a Christian 
should be; II. What the faith of most Christians in reality is. 

I. WHAT THE FAITH OF A CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE 

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to God 
unto the pulling down of fortifications, destroying counsels, and every 
height that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing 
into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ.” 
(2 Cor. x, 4, 5) 

The qualities which faith should possess are: 1. It should be humble 

and submissive: “bringing into captivity.” 2. Entire and universal: 
“every understanding.” 3. Living and active: “unto the obedience of 
Christ.” 

1. Faith should be humble and submissive. For what is it? 

“Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of 
things that appear not.” (Heb. xi, 1) 

There are in religion some truths which we understand: 

“The invisible things of Him are clearly seen, being understood by 
the things that are made.” (Rom. i, 20) 

There are other truths that surpass our understanding; and yet 
we believe these more firmly by the help of faith than if we saw them 
with our eyes; because our faith is founded on the word of God and 
on the authority and infallibility of His Church, whose decisions are 
so unerring that St. Augustine says: “I would not believe the Gospel 
unless the authority of the Catholic Church moved me to do so.” 

“If the works of God were such as to be easily understood by 
human reason, they could not be called unspeakable. Neither has 
faith any merit if its object can be proved by reason and experience.” 
(S. Aug.) 


12 


QUALITIES OF FAITH 


13 


Though we should have allotted to us all the treasures of knowledge, 
if we were wanting in humility and submission to the Church, she 
would disown us and refuse to recognize us as her children. This is 
why St. Peter calls Christians “children of obedience.” (1 Pet. i, 14). 
And St. Paul attributes to them the same quality: “We are not the 
children of withdrawing unto perdition, but of faith to the saving of 
the soul.” (Heb. x, 19) 

2. Faith should be entire and universal. 

There is nothing so vast in extent as faith; what takes place in 
Heaven and in hell; what is buried in the darkness of the past and 
what is still hidden in the abyss of the future—all is the province of 
faith, which, as it shares in the knowledge of God, includes things most 
remote (that is, far apart from one another and from us). We can 
divide those things that are the object of faith, but we cannot divide 
faith itself: “One faith” (Eph. iv, 5), because the formal object of 
faith is the First Truth, God, revealing to His Church the dogmas 
which that Church proposes to us. We must believe all these dogmas, 
or we believe nothing at all. 

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is 
become guilty of all.” (Jas. ii, 10) 

“I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
you all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among you; 
but that you be perfect in the same mind, and in the same judgment.” 
(1 Cor. i, 10) 

We must not add to, nor take from, the faith. Private opinions 
could never become the faith of the Church. 

“Times change, but not faith.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Faith should be living and active, “unto the obedience of Christ.” 

If we are to believe with a faith pleasing to God, we must do some¬ 
thing more than profess the faith with our lips; we must let our faith 
influence our conduct, and show by our lives that we do believe. The 
faith that justifies is that which works by charity. 

“[The saints] by faith conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, ob¬ 
tained promises.” (Heb. xi, 33) 

“All these died according to faith, not having received the promises, 
but beholding them afar off, and saluting them, and confessing that 
they are pilgrims and strangers on the earth.” (Heb. xi, 13) 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh 
to God must believe that He is, and is a rewarder to them that seek 
Him.” (Heb. xi, 6) 

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth 
not shall be condemned.” (Mark xvi, 16) 

“He that believeth not is already judged.” (John iii, 18) 


H 


FAITH AS IT SHOULD BE 


“If you will not believe, you shall not continue.” (Is. vii, 9) 

“Faith is the beginning of man’s salvation, the foundation and root 
of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God, and 
to be numbered among His children.” (Trid. Counc., Sess. 6, c. 8) 

“Faith is the source of justice, the principle of sanctity, from which 
all justice takes its beginning.” (S. Aug.) 

It is this active faith that has worked so many miracles and given 
courage to the martyrs. Consider what it does even in our day in 
so many holy souls, who unceasingly perform good works and forget 
nothing that would help them to gain Heaven. 

II. WHAT THE FAITH OF THE GREATER NUMBER OF CHRISTIANS 
REALLY IS 

i. Faith should be humble and submissive, and yet people wish to 
argue about everything; 2. It should be entire and universal, and yet 
people wish to believe only what pleases them; 3. It should be living 
and active, and yet people are unwilling to conform their lives to their 
belief, to live up to their faith. These are three great defects. 

1. Our faith should make us believe with such a strength of con¬ 
viction that we feel no further curiosity after having known Jesus 
Christ, nor search for further knowledge after having received the 
Gospel. 

“When Christ has spoken, all curious questionings must cease; we 
need not be inquisitive when we know the Gospel.” (Tert.) 

And yet how many Christians there are, who guide themselves by 
the light of reason alone, without paying any attention to the word of 
God, rejecting that of which they are ignorant. 

“These men blaspheme whatever things they know not.” (Jude 10) 

“Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain.” 

(Ibid., 11) 

They will believe a thousand things in this world on the word of 
man; it is with God only they dare to dispute. They will give credence 
to an infinitude of things that are very uncertain; but they make it a 
false point of honor to remain incredulous regarding heavenly things. 

“The faith of such wicked men approaches closely to that of the 
devils.” (S. Aug.) 

They are in a certain sense worse than the devils, for: 

“The devils believe and tremble.” (Jas. ii, 19) 

“He that is a searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory.” 
(Prov. xxv, 27) 

“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is 
greater.” (1 John v, 9) 


QUALITIES OF FAITH 


15 


2. Faith should be entire and universal, yet there are those who, 
while they do not cast doubt on everything, believe only what pleases 
them; they are rash enough to make themselves the judges of religion. 
If they are in affliction, they say they do not believe there is a Provi¬ 
dence. If they are reminded of the obligation of leading chaste lives, 
the virtue of chastity appears to them an idle fancy. When a tempta¬ 
tion of the flesh solicits them to sin, they have doubts about the pains of 
hell. There are others who allow themselves to be carried away by 
novel opinions that flatter the corrupt inclinations of their hearts. 

Ah! brethren, if a man wanted to steal your goods, what would you 
not do to prevent him? Have you anything more precious than your 
faith? Comply, then, with the advice which St. Jerome gave to one 
of his friends: “No matter who it is that proclaims new dogmas, I 
beseech you to preserve the faith that has been recommended by the 
mouth of the Apostle. Up to now the world has been Christian with¬ 
out this new doctrine. As an old man I will hold to that faith in 
which I was born/’ 

“Be not led away with various and strange doctrines.” (Heb. xiii, 9) 

“In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able 
to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.” (Eph. vi, 
16) 

3. Faith should be living and active, but there are those whose lives 
are not in conformity with their belief, who have only a dead faith. 
Nevertheless, “What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath 
faith, but hath not works ? Shall faith be able to save him ? (Jas. ii, 14) 

Far from justifying you before God, the faith which you have will 
serve only to make your condemnation more severe. 

“Woe to thee, Corozain, ... for if in Tyre and Sidon had been 
wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long 
ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. ... But I say unto you, that 
it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judg¬ 
ment than for thee.” (Matth. xi, 21, 24) 

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; 
but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John xv, 22) 

Is it not an astonishing thing and a monstrous contradiction that, 
believing truths so terrible, you lead the same disorderly lives as the 
infidels do? A man believes, for example, that a single mortal sin is 
enough to condemn him to hell, and yet he spends his life in committing 
such sins. He believes that neither the avaricious nor the unchaste 
shall enter Heaven, and yet he abandons himself to these vices. 

“They profess that they know God; but in their works they deny 
Him.” (Tit. i, 16) 


16 FAITH AS IT SHOULD BE 

“Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” (Matth. 
viii, 13) 

“He that believeth God, taketh heed to the commandments.” (Eccli. 
xxxii, 28) 

“With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth con¬ 
fession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. x, 10) 

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without good 
works is dead.” (Jas. ii, 26) 

“I will show thee, by works, my faith.” (Jas. ii, 18) 

“If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and 
have not charity, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. xiii, 12) 

“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this 
mountain, Remove from hence hither, and it shall remove; and noth¬ 
ing shall be impossible to you.” (Matth. xvii, 19) 

“He truly believes who, by good works, makes his life correspond 
to his belief.” (S. Aug.) 

“The Son of Man, when He cometh, shall He find, think you, faith 
on earth?” (Luke xviii, 8) 

“It is difficult for him who really believes, to lead a bad life.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“The house of God is founded on faith, built upon hope, and made 
perfect by charity.” (S. Aug.) 

“All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer believing, you shall 
receive.” (Matt, xxi, 22) 

“Try yourselves if you be in the faith; prove ye yourselves.” 
(2 Cor. xiii, 5) 

“Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant.” (Luke 
xix, 22) 

“Labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling 
and election.” (2 Pet. i, 10) 

“The just shall live in his faith.” (Habac. ii, 4) 

“In every place, your faith which is towards God is gone forth, so 
that we need not to speak anything . . . being mindful of the work 
of your faith.” (1 Thess. i, 8, 3) 

“I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief.” (Mark ix, 23) 

“Increase our faith.” (Luke xvii, 5) 

“Be of good cheer, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.” 
(Matth. ix, 22) 


Divisions 

I. Faith saves us, 

i°. As the perfection of our good works, because the good works 



QUALITIES OF FAITH 


17 


we practise, their efficacy and their reward, come especially from faith. 

2°. As the principle of our good works, because the ardor that leads 
us to practise these works is inspired by faith. 

II. Faith condemns us, 

i°. Because we do not live according to its teaching, and because 
in sinning, (a) we keep it captive in injustice; (b) we deprive it of 
the fairest fruit of its fecundity, namely, good works; and (c) we 
at length cause it to die within us. 

2°. How will it condemn us at the judgment of God? By convict¬ 
ing us of three things: (a) that we could have lived as Christians; 
(b) that we should have lived as Christians; (c) that we have not 
lived as Christians. 


Faith consists in three things: in heartily believing with internal, 
firm, and resolute assent all that God has revealed; in professing with 
the mouth what we believe in our heart, with the strength and courage 
worthy of a Christian; and in showing our belief by our acts. I. 
Faith should dispose us to believe all the truths that Religion proposes 
to us; II. It should make us observe faithfully the teachings of 
Religion. 

I. Faith should dispose us to believe all the truths proposed to us. 

I. That faith may be a homage worthy of offering to God, and 
profitable to man, it should be: 

i°. Firm, believing without hesitation, 

2 0 . Simple, believing without question, 

3 0 . Universal, believing all the truths revealed by God, without 
exception. 

II. Faith should make us observe faithfully the teachings of Religion. 

Faith should make us loyal. If it is not made manifest by works, 

it is dead. It is not, therefore, enough that it should exercise its power 
over our intellect, so as to make us believe the revealed truths; it 
should also influence our hearts, and cause us to observe all the com¬ 
mandments. Faith should be animated by good works, as these are 
animated by faith. Faith should, then, be practical. Good works are, 
therefore, necessary, 

i°. To preserve the faith, for without the practice of good works it 
is very difficult to avoid falling into infidelity, which destroys faith, 

2 0 . To render faith more efficacious and fruitful unto salvation. 
(Billot) 



IV 


THE WORD OF GOD 

“The seed is the word of God.” (Luke viii, n) 

The word of God is a seed which falls at one time on the roadside, 
that is, into dissipated hearts, at another among thorns, i.e., the cares 
and troubles of this world, which destroy the fruit the holy word 
should produce. And again it falls on rocky places, i.e., hardened 
hearts, in which the divine seed cannot take root. It is only in good 
ground, that is, in the hearts of those who hear the word of God with 
humble minds and receive it willingly, that it brings forth fruit in due 
time. 

Let us consider the effects produced by the word of God in a well- 
disposed heart, and what preparation we should make to profit by it. 
I. The fruits and effects produced by the word. II. The dispositions 
with which it should be received. 

I. THE FRUITS AND EFFECTS OF THE WORD OF GOD 

The word of God is never without fruit. 

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no 
more thither, but soak the earth and water it, and make it to spring, 
and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall My word 
be, which shall go forth from My mouth. It shall not return to me 
void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in all the 
things for which I sent it.” (Is. lv, io, n) 

S. Paul points out in a special manner the benefit of the word of 
God: 

“It is profitable, (i) to teach, (2) to reprove and correct, (3) to 
instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to 
every good work.” (2 Tim. iii, 16, 17) 

This divine word, then, produces three great effects, which must 
be explained: It instructs the ignorant, it corrects sinners, and it 
makes perfect those who are already just. 

1. It is profitable to teach .—It is the word of God that gives us light 
in the midst of the thick darkness in which we live. “Thy word is a 
lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.” (Ps. cxviii, 105) 

What errors should we not fall into if we had not this light! We 
can judge of this by the errors and the infidelity of so many idolatrous 

18 


FRUITS AND EFFECTS OF THE WORD OF GOD 


19 


nations, to whom the Gospel has not been announced. The divine 
Word teaches us what we must believe and what we must do; it 
teaches us the duties of our state of life, the duties of parents, of 
children, of masters and mistresses, of merchants, of the rich, etc. 

'‘Faith cometh by hearing: and hearing by the word of Christ. How 
shall they believe Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall 
they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. x, 17 and 14) 

“My speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of 
human wisdom, but in shewing of the spirit.” (1 Cor. ii, 4) 

2. To reprove and correct .—It is the Word of God that calls the 
wandering sheep back to the fold, that withdraws the sinner from his 
disorderly life, and prevents the tongue of the slanderer from destroy¬ 
ing his neighbor’s character. This sacred word warns the voluptuous, 
whose days pass away in one continuous round of so-called pleasure, 
that effeminacy and sensuality are not without sin before God, and that 
He should fear lest that terrible word be fulfilled in him: “As much 
as she has lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to 
her.” (Apoc. xviii, 7) 

No matter how insensible the sinner may be, the Word of God will 
touch him: “However cold or frozen or hard his heart may be, he 
need not be without hope.” (S. Aug.) 

“He shall send out His word and shall melt them: His wind shall 
blow and the waters shall run.” (Ps. cxlvii, 18) 

If he is a man steeped in sin, no matter; for “No heart is so hard 
that it cannot be softened by the mercy of God.” (S. Aug.) 

Our Lord Himself says: “Are not My words as a hammer that 
breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jer. xxiii, 29), and again: “Behold 
I will make My words in thy mouth as fire, and this people as wood, 
and it shall devour them.” (Jer. v, 14) 

“Every word of God is fire-tried: He is a buckler to them that hope 
in Him. Add not anything to His words lest thou be reproved and 
found a liar.” (Prov. xxx, 5, 6) 

“If thou give warning to the wicked, and he shall not be converted 
from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in 
his iniquity.” (Ezech. iii, 19) 

If we have already the great happiness of walking in the way of 
salvation, the word of God produces a third effect, namely, it leads us 
on to perfection and to the practice of all good works. 

3. To instruct in justice .—If we read the lives of the early Chris¬ 
tians, the saints and martyrs, we shall see to what perfection the word 
of God conducted them. These words: “If thou wilt be perfect, go 
sell what thou hast and give to the poor,” made St. Antony the most 
perfect of solitaries. 


20 


THE WORD OF GOD 


“For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than 
any two-edged sword: and reaching unto the division of the soul and 
the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the hearts.” (Heb. iv, 12) 

What is the edge of this spiritual sword ? What divisions does it 
make? It separates the just from the wicked, the son from the father, 
the daughter from the mother. A boy wishes to consecrate himself to 
God, but his father forbids him to do so; the Word of God steps in. 
A girl desires to give her life to the service of Jesus Christ, but her 
mother is opposed to her doing so: the Word of God comes as a sword 
that separates the mother from the daughter. The sinner wishes to 
put away from him everything that is an obstacle to his salvation, but 
his friends try to prevent him: the word of God comes, it strikes his 
heart, and separates him from his bad companions. 

“All My words are just, there is nothing wicked nor perverse in 
them. They are right to them that understand, and just to them that 
find knowledge.” (Prov. viii, 8) 

“The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth. ,, (Rom. i, 16) 

II. THE DISPOSITION WITH WHICH THE WORD OF GOD SHOULD BE 
RECEIVED 

To benefit by the word of God, we should (1) hear it, (2) meditate 
on it, and (3) practice what it teaches. 

1. We should hear it with attention and respect, seeing in the 
preachers only God, who speaks through them. The Thessalonians 
listened to S. Paul with respect and attention: 

“Therefore we also give thanks to God without ceasing: because that 
when you had received of us the word of the hearing of God, you re¬ 
ceived it not as the word of men, but (as it is indeed) the word of 
God, who worketh in you that you have believed.” (1 Thess. ii, 13) 

Is that the disposition of Christians of the present day? They go 
to hear sermons through curiosity or by chance; they go, not to re¬ 
ceive instruction, but to criticise the preacher, perhaps even to turn 
him into ridicule: “They mocked the messengers of God.” (2 Par. 
xxxvi, 16). They go to see and to be seen. 

To listen to the word of salvation with faith and reverence is to 
see Jesus Christ in the person of him who preaches that word. 

“We are not as many adulterating the word of God, but with sin¬ 
cerity, but as from God, before God, in Christ we speak.” (2 Cor. 
ii, J7) 

“For Christ, therefore, we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting 
by us.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 


HOW IT SHOULD BE RECEIVED 


21 


“Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ, and the 
dispensers of the mysteries of God.” (I Cor. iv, I) 

“For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that 
speaketh in you.” (Matth. x, 20) 

That is what should cause us to listen to the word of God with 
respect. 

“I have put My words in thy mouth.” (Is. li, 16) 

But alas! “Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Is. liii, 1) 
“Children that will not hear the law of God.” {Ibid, xxx, 9) 
Saying : “Speak unto us pleasant things.” {Ibid, v, 10) And 
behold : “They have hardened their necks, that they might not hear 
My words.” (Jer. xix, 15) 

“Behold the word of the Lord is become unto them a reproach: and 
they will not receive it.” {Ibid, vi, 10) 

“Be instant in season, out of season. . . . For there shall be a time 
when they will not endure sound doctrine: but according to their own 
desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and 
will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned 
unto fables.” (2 Tim. iv, 2-4) 

“He that despiseth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that 
judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in 
the last day.” (John, xii, 48) 

“The word of God shall be your accuser.” (S. Aug.) 

“Many love the clear truth, but hate those who censure them.” 
(S. Aug.) 

Some are offended with the preacher because they feel themselves 
wounded by what he says. 

“I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good to me, but evil.” 
(3 Kings, xxii, 8) 

“A general reproof hurts no one in particular.” (S. Jerome) 

“The words of the preacher bear no fruit unless the Holy Ghost 
touches the heart of the hearer.” (S. Greg.) 

2. But that is not enough; we must also preserve the word of God, 
meditate on it, nourish our piety with it, and hide it in our hearts. 

“Thy words have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against 
Thee.” (Ps. cxviii, 11) 

The heart ought to be the repository of the divine Word, ought to 
taste it, meditate on it, make use of it, and apply it to itself: But have 
you placed it in your heart? What care have you taken to apply it 
to yourself? The preacher speaks against some vice. You attribute 
that vice to such or such a person, while “Thou art the man.” 
(2 Kings, xii, 7) 


22 


THE WORD OF GOD 


It is thus that “The devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their 
heart, lest believing they should be saved.” (Luke viii, 12) 

“Lay up these My words in your hearts and minds, and hang 
them for a sign on your hands, and place them before your eyes.” 
(Deut. xi, 18) 

“Nothing contributes so powerfully to purity of life and manners, or 
to diligence in the divine service, as an earnest desire to hear the word 
of God.” (S. Chrys.) 

“As a good appetite is a sign of the health of the body, so an earnest 
desire for the word of God shows the healthy state of the soul.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“The word of God is the food of the soul.” (S. Aug.) 

“When you hear a sermon, never fail to carry away from it some¬ 
thing that will strengthen your soul.” (S. Chrys.) 

“He preached well.” “What did he say?” “Oh! I really do not 
remember J” 

“What can a hearer be called but a scoffer or a ridiculous person, 
if he asserts that a preacher has spoken well, and at the same time con¬ 
fesses that he neither knows nor understands what the preacher has 
said?” (S. Chrys.) 


3. We must hear the word of God and meditate on it; but the es¬ 
sential point is to put it into practice. 

“Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Luke 
xi, 28) 

“I praise you,” said St. Bernard, “because you love to hear the word 
of God; but guard with care what you hear so willingly.” 

Herod heard him [John] freely; but when S. John said to him: 
“It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife” (Mark vi, 18), 
he did not wish to hear more. 

Do you wish to be disciples of Jesus Christ? “If you continue in 
My word, you will be my disciples indeed.” (John viii, 31) 

But to live in obedience to the word of God it is not enough simply 
to hear it, we must do what it commands. Do you do that? 

“Every one, therefore, that heareth these My words, and doth them, 
shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock.” 
(Matth. vii, 24) 

“Not the hearers of the word are justified before God: but the doers 
of the law shall be justified.” (Rom. ii, 13) 

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own 
selves.” (Jas. i, 22) 

“Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send forth a 


HOW IT SHOULD BE RECEIVED 23 

famine into the land: not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, 
but of hearing the word of God.” (Amos viii, 11) 

“Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that pro¬ 
ceeded! from the mouth of God.” (Matth. iv, 4) 

“‘Christ teaches; let us listen to Him with a holy fear and do what 
He tells us.” (S. Aug.) 

“Receive the ingrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.” 
(Jas. i, 21) 

“I am afraid of you, lest perhaps I have labored in vain among 
you.” (Gal. iv, 11) 

It is so long since you heard a sermon! Tremble! “Because thou 
hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected thee.” 
(1 Kings, xv, 26) 

You are like the captive Jews at Babylon: 

“They hear Thy words and do them not; for they turn them into 
a song of their mouth.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 31). They turn them into 
mockery. 

“Why do you not know My speech? Because you cannot hear 
My word. ... You are of your father, the devil. . . . He that is of 
God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, be¬ 
cause you are not of God.” (John viii, 43, 44 and 47) 

“To-day if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” 
(Ps. xciv, 8) 

“They shall all be taught of God.” (John vi, 45) 


Divisions 

The word of God does not produce fruit in our souls, (1) Because 
we do not receive it as His word; (2) Because by our own fault that 
holy word is without profit to us, and serves only to our condemnation. 
Bourdaloue) 


I. It is foolish to imagine that we are saving our souls if we do 
not hear the word of God. 

i°. We cannot be saved without a knowledge of the truth; it is 
the word of God which makes that truth known to us. 

2°. We cannot be saved without loving the truth; it is the word of 
God that makes us love it. It enlightens our mind ( lucet) ; it touches 
our heart ( movet ). (S. Aug.) 

II. It is useless to listen to the word of God unless we have the 
dispositions necessary to profit by it. 




24 


THE WORD OF GOD 


i°. It is the word of God, not that of man, and therefore we must 
listen to it with respect. 

2°. It is a means of sanctification and of salvation, and therefore 
we must listen to it with docility and with a sincere desire to profit by 
it. (Billuart) 


Why does the word of God produce so little fruit? 
i°. Because people come to hear a sermon without thinking of 
what they are about to do, and without any preparation. 

2°. Because they assist at the sermon, as at a profane discourse, 
without reverence and without a desire to be instructed. 

3 °. Because they go away from the sermon as from a pleasure 
party, without entering into themselves, without meditating on the 
truths they have heard, and without striving to put these truths into 
practice. 



V 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 

“There hath stood One in the midst of you whom you know not.” 

(John i, 26) 

Might not these words be addressed to the greater number of Chris¬ 
tians in our day? . . . And yet we cannot avoid the presence of 
God, we cannot conceal ourselves from His sight. It is of that divine 
presence, fixed, unchangeable, proximate, and never interrupted, that 
I would speak to you to-day, and lay before you all its consequences 
and bearings. Consider I. The presence of God as the source of our 
sanctification; II. The presence of God as the source of our happiness. 


I. THE PRESENCE OF GOD, SOURCE OF OUR SANCTIFICATION 

Why are sins committed? Because the sinner forgets that God is 
present everywhere. 

“Woe to you that are deep of heart. . . . And their works are in the 
dark, and they say: who seeth us and who knoweth us?” (Is. xxix, 15) 

To avoid sin we must fear it and have the strength to resist it. 
But what is more capable of procuring for us this double advantage 
than the constant remembrance of the presence of God ? (1) It makes 

us fear sin; (2) it gives us strength to overcome temptation. 


1. The thought of the presence of God makes us fear sin. The 
presence of a wise and virtuous witness should prevent us from com¬ 
mitting at least exterior sins. If this witness were personally interested 
in our actions, his presence would have a still greater influence in 
keeping us from wrong-doing; if he could see us and know what passes 
in our minds, we would not dare to entertain even a sinful thought in 
his presence. But if he were at the same time our master and our 
judge, what an irresistible influence his presence would have in keeping 
us from evil. Now, you have this interested, all-seeing dreaded 
witness always with you; and you commit sin because you forget that 
He is present. 

“God is not before his eyes: his ways are filthy at all times/’ (Ps. 


x, 5) 


“Every one that doeth evil, hateth the light.” 

25 


(John iii, 20) 


26 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 


“Although every one that does evil hates the light and seeks darkness, 
nevertheless no one can be hidden from God, who sees all things.” 
(S. Innoc.) 

The criminal always seeks a dark place in which to commit his crime: 

“Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth us.” 
(Dan. xiii, 20) 

The infamous old men had forgotten the presence of God; that is 
why they fell into sin: 

“They turned away their eyes that they might not look into heaven.” 
(Dan. xiii, 9) 

No one sees us, the sinner says. But he is deceived; God sees him. 

“I will search Jerusalem with lamps.” (Sophon. i, 12) 

“Man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord judgeth the heart.” 
(I Kings xvi, 7) 

“The searcher of hearts and reins is God.” (Ps. vii, 10) 

“Thou hast observed all my paths, and hast considered the steps of 
my feet.” (Job xiii, 27) 

“He beholdeth the ends of the world: and looketh on all things that 
are under heaven.” (Job xxviii, 24) 

“I know that Thou canst do all things, and no thought is hid from 
Thee.” (Job xiii, 2) 

“The Lord hath looked down from heaven: He hath beheld all the 
sons of men.” (Ps. xxxii, 13) 

But it is not enough to say that God sees us, that God knows. No, 
He not only sees and knows, but He judges and condemns whatever He 
sees defective in us. Do not think that God will pass on you only 
after death the judgment with which He so often threatens us: “Now 
is the judgment of the world.” (John xii, 31). He judges us every 
day and every hour. He has always in His hands the scales in which 
He weighs our words and deeds; and the judgment which He will pass 
on us after death will be only the execution of the different sentences 
which He has passed on us during life. He sees you, then, and He 
judges you, false and deceitful men, hypocrites, men plunged into the 
depths of effeminacy and voluptuousness. He sees you and He judges 
you, rich ones of this world, who are guilty in His sight. 

“Great is the Lord, and of His greatness there is no end.” (Ps. 
cxliv, 3) 

“Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from 
Thy face? If I ascend into heaven Thou art there; if I descend into 
hell Thou art present. If I take wings early in the morning, and dwell 
in the uttermost parts of the sea: even there also Thy hand shall lead 
me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” (Ps. cxxxviii, 7-10) 

“The darkness shall not be dark to Thee, and night shall be light as 


A SOURCE OF SANCTIFICATION 27 

the day: the darkness thereof and the light thereof are alike to Thee.” 
{Ibid. 12) 

“The eyes of the Lord in every place behold the good and the evil.” 
(Prov. xv, 3) 

“All the ways of man are open to His eyes.” {Ibid, xvi, 2) 

“The eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun, beholding round 
about all the ways of men, and the bottom of the deep, and looking into 
the hearts of men, into the most hidden parts.” (Eccli. xxiii, 28) 
“The works of all flesh are before Him, and there is nothing hid 
from His eyes.” {Ibid, xxxix, 24) 

“I fill heaven and earth.” (Jer. xxiii, 24) 

“The iniquity of the house of Israel is exceeding great; for they 
have said: The Lord seeth not.” (Ezech. ix, 9) 

“We should fear God at all times and in all places: Whether you go 
in or go out, whether you are in the light or in darkness, God sees you. 
Fear Him, then, who never loses sight of you for a moment. If you 
wish to commit sin, look for some place where God cannot see you, 
and if you find it, do as you wish.” (S. Aug.) 

“I say that God is all eyes, all hands, all feet; for He sees all things, 
does all things, and is present everywhere.” (S. Aug.) 

“When we do wrong we avoid the presence of men, but in the sight 
of God we do things that are unworthy of His infinite majesty.” 
(S. Ambrose) 

“We know that God is the Judge of all things, and yet we commit 
sin in His very presence.” (S. Ambrose) 

“Ponder deeply on the nature of God: it contains all things, fills all 
things, embraces all things, surpasses all things, and sustains all things.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“Unless you are a hypocrite, you must admit that the need of being 
upright and virtuous is very great, since you are in the presence of a 
Judge who sees all things.” (Joel) 

“Who would dare to do before the eyes of his prince that which is 
displeasing to him?” (S. Basil) 

“Great care is necessary since you live in the presence of a Judge 
who sees all things.” (S. Bernard) 

“The mind that is occupied with the thought of God has little room 
for other thoughts, especially evil ones.” (S. Ignatius) 

“The more firmly we are convinced that God sees us, the more we 
shall check our audacity and keep from sin.” (S. Ignatius) 

2. The thought of the presence of God gives us strength to over¬ 
come temptations. 

When the infamous old men said to the chaste Susanna: “No one 


28 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 


sees us/’ she answered them with courage: “It is better for me to 
fall into your hands than to sin in the sight of the Lord.” (Dan. 
xiii, 23) 

When Abraham lived among infidels, God proposed to him this 
thought of the divine presence as the means by which he would not 
only avoid being carried away by bad example, but would become per¬ 
fect before God:—“Walk before Me, and be perfect.” (Gen. xvii, 1) 
King David says: 

“I set the Lord always in my sight: for He is at my right hand, 
that I be not moved.” (Ps. xv, 8) 

The presence of God was for David not only a powerful motive to 
fear and avoid sin; he found in it also an unfailing source of strength, 
which enabled him to conquer sin. For God is with us not only as a 
Master and Judge; He is with us as our Protector and Support also. 

“God is my protector and the horn of my salvation. Praising I will 
call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies. The tor¬ 
rents of iniquity troubled me. ... I called upon the Lord. (Ps. xvii, 
3-7). The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be 
afraid?” (Ps. xxvi, 1). “The Lord is nigh.” (Phil, iv, 5). “He is 
not far from any of us: for in Him we live and move, and have our 
being.” (Acts xvii, 27-28) 

What excuse then can you give for your disorderly life? “Tell if 
thou hast anything to justify thyself.” (Is. xliii, 26) 

What prevents you from having recourse to God? 

“The eyes of the Lord behold all the earth and give strength to those 
who with a perfect heart trust in him.” (2 Par. xvi, 9). “By faith 
Moses endured as seeing Him that is invisible.” (Heb. xi, 27) 

“It is certain that if we thought of God when we are tempted to sin, 
we would never do anything displeasing to Him.” (S. Jerome) 
“Remember God and you will not sin.” (S. Ignatius) 

“No one ever wavers if he considers that God is always present 
with him.” (S. Clement) 

“If we clearly understand and never forget that God is always present, 
and that He sees and judges all things, we shall seldom or never fall 
into sin.” (S. Thomas) 

“Our conscience will be a great check to us if we really believe that 
we are living in the sight of God.” (Lactantius) 

“The presence of God is a twofold check to sin, because God sees 
us and we see Him.” (S. Ignatius) 

“He is never absent, and yet He is far from the thoughts of the 
wicked; nevertheless He is never absent from the place from which He 
is far off, because where He is not present by His grace, He is present 
by His vengeance.” (S. Greg.) 


A SOURCE OF OUR HAPPINESS 29 

‘The prodigal son fled to a far distant country, but did not escape 
the accusing eyes of his Father.” (S. Chrys.) 

“They say: The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the 
earth.” (Ezech. viii, 12) 

“They have said: The Lord shall not see: neither shall the God of 
Jacob understand. . . . You fools, be wise at last. He that hath planted 
the ear, shall He not hear? or He that formed the eye, doth He not 
consider?” (Ps. xciii, 7-9) 

II. THE PRESENCE OF GOD, SOURCE OF OUR HAPPINESS 

It is difficult to understand in this world that we can be happy in 
putting into practice the teaching of the Gospel; that is to say, in re¬ 
nouncing the vain pleasures of the world, in order to occupy ourselves 
with the affair of our eternal salvation. Such a life appears unhappy. 
Let us put away this false impression from our minds. The saints 
are not as unhappy as the world imagines, because (1) The presence of 
God satisfies all their desires, (2) makes up for all their losses, and (3) 
soothes all their pains. 

1. The Presence of God Satisfies All Desires. 

When we have learned to love God above all things, we are content 
to be always with Him, and we gladly forget all else to think only 
of His presence. Consider the hermits burying themselves in the solitude 
of the desert, and living there far away from the world. They were 
not alone. Their solitude was made happy by the constant thought of 
the presence of God. . . . Shall I abandon this solitary? God said, No: 
“We will come to him, and We will make Our abode with him.” 
(John xiv, 23) 

The unceasing cry of their hearts was: “My God and my All ; and 
they desired nothing more. 

“For what have I in heaven? and besides Thee, what do I desire upon 
earth ? Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion 
for ever. ... It is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope 
in the Lord God.” (Ps. lxxii, 25-28) 

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke xn, 

34) 


2. The Presence of God Makes up for All Losses. 

The presence of men, as of temporal goods, is essentially limited, 
successive, and interrupted by long intervals. The presence of God is 
constant and perpetual. Of all the objects we may love, He is the only 
one from which it is absolutely certain we can never be separated. 


30 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 


Even death itself does not separate us from Him, but, on the contrary, 
draws us closer to Him. Why do you fear death? Because you are 
engaged in thinking only of earthly goods, which you must certainly 
lose at death. Imitate the saints by filling your hearts with the 
thought of the presence of God, and the fear of losing temporal goods 
will not trouble you. Nay, instead of dreading death, you will welcome 
it and say: “I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go 
into the house of the Lord.” (Ps. cxxi, i) 

In the pains and agony of the last moment you will joyfully cry out: 
“I know that my Redeemer liveth.” (Job xix, 25) 

3. The Presence of God Mitigates Sufferings. 

The thought of the divine presence is the great secret which enables 
the just to despise all the evils of this life. When the martyrs were 
threatened they replied: “No one can take my God from me; for to 
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil, i, 21) 

When the Empress Eudoxia threatened to send John Chrysostom 
into exile, the Saint said to her: “What! do you not know that God 
is everywhere?” 

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” (Ps. xxiii, 1) 

“[God] went down with him into the pit, and in bonds He left him 
not.” (Wis. x, 14) 

“I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me.” (Ps. xxii, 4) 

What was it but the presence of the loving God, of whom they never 
lost sight, that gave the martyrs strength to endure unflinchingly the 
most frightful torments? 

“In the fight which you wage with the devil you have as witnesses 
the angels and the Lord of angels.” (S. Ephraim) 

“To Thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before Thee.” 
(Ps. 1 , 6) 

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee.” (Luke xv, 
21) 

“Stand before the Lord.” (1 Kings x, 19) 

“I have kept Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, because all 
my ways are in Thy sight.” (Ps. cxviii, 168) 

“I shall never cease to remember you, for you never cease to look 
on me.” (S. Aug.) 

“I have striven hard to find You outside Yourself, and yet if I de¬ 
sired You, I would find You dwelling in my heart.” (Ibid.) 

“Love the good that is in you.” (Ibid.) 

“Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.” (Ps. xxxiii, 9) 



A SOURCE OF OUR HAPPINESS 


3i 


Divisions 

I* Effects Produced by the Thought of the Presence of God. 

This thought produces three impressions on the soul: 

i°. An impression of humility and respect; 

2°. An impression of resignation and confidence; 

3 °. An impression of infidelity and holy fear. 

II. Causes That Make Us Forget the Presence of God. 

The greater number of Christians do not place themselves in the 
presence of God : 

i°. Because of the dissipation of their minds, which are filled with 
the thoughts of creatures only; 

2°. Because the remembrance of the divine presence would disturb 
them in the midst of their sinful pleasures and amusements. 

III. Means by Which We Can Always Keep Ourselves in the 
Presence of God. 

i°. Recollection; 

2°. Purity of heart; 

3°. Allowing the thought of God’s presence to influence all our 
actions. 


Practice of the presence of God; its advantages:— 

1. It turns us away from sin; 

2. It strengthens us in the exercise of every virtue; 

3. It causes us to conquer temptations, and to bear adversity, sick¬ 
ness, and disgrace with a holy patience. 

4. It unites us to God as closely as we can be united to Him in this 
life, by producing in us a lively faith, an ardent charity, and a great 
conformity of thought, feeling, will, and affection. 


1. God is everywhere by His essence and His immensity; the sinner, 
therefore, commits his crimes in the very bosom of God. 

2. God is everywhere by His power, with which He co-operates in 
all our thoughts, etc. He does not approve of what we do, but sustains 
us physically in the very act of sin; so that when we commit sin, we 
make use of His own power to offend Him. 

3. He is everywhere present, and sees all things; so we have at all 
times and in all places a Judge and a Witness from whom we cannot 
conceal ourselves nor escape. 




VI 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 

"I have compassion on the multitude.” (Mark vii, 2) 

“Know ye that no one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded.” 

(Eccli. ii, 11) 

God governs all things. Nothing occurs except by His order or per¬ 
mission. We must, therefore, place all our confidence in His Divine 
Providence. To induce you to do this I will show you: I. What the 
Providence of God does for mankind; II. What we should do to cor¬ 
respond to His loving care. 

I. WHAT THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD DOES FOR MANKIND 

i. There is a Providence that rules all things and provides for the 
needs of all. Reason as well as faith proves this. All nature pro¬ 
claims that there is a Providence which rules and sustains it in that 
beautiful order which we admire in it. But it is over the needs of man 
especially that this Divine Providence extends its paternal care. God 
knows all we require, and He provides for all. What a motive of un¬ 
bounded confidence this should be for us! 

“He that planteth the ear, shall He not hear?” (Ps. xciii, 9) 

“He reacheth therefore from end to end mightily and ordereth all 
things sweetly.” (Wis. viii, 1) 

Proof from the Gospel: 

“I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been 
with Me three days, and have nothing to eat; and if I shall send them 
away fasting to their homes, they will faint in the way.” (Mark viii, 
2, 3). How many other miracles prove this truth! 

“Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and 
moths consume. . . . Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your 
life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. . . . 
For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.” 
(Matth. vi, 19, 25, 32) 

“All thy ways are prepared, and in Thy Providence Thou hast 
placed Thy judgments.” (Judith ix, 5) 

“There is no other God but Thou who hast care of all.” (Wis. xii, 

13 ) 

“But Thy Providence, O Father, governeth it.” (Ibid, xiv, 3) 

32 


WHAT IT DOES FOR MANKIND 


33 


God compares Himself to a father and to a mother: 

“As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord com¬ 
passion on them that fear Him: for He knoweth our frame.” (Ps. cii, 
1 3 > 14 ) 

“Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son 
of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.” 
(Is. xlix, 15) 

“Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight.” 
(Wis. xi, 21) 

“As Thou are just, Thou orderest all things justly.” (Ibid, xii, 15) 

“He made the little and the great, and He hath equally care of all.” 
(Ibid, vi, 8) 

“Who provideth food for the raven when her young ones cry to 
God, wandering about, because they have no meat.” (Job. xxxviii, 41) 

And what takes place every day before our eyes? Do we not see 
that all the cares of Providence are, so to speak, combined for the sake 
of man? The fire gives him warmth; the air, the water, the earth, all 
are for his use. 

“Thou openest Thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living crea¬ 
ture. Thou hast given them meat in due season.” (Ps. cxliv, 15, 16) 

“He hath given His angels charge over thee: to keep thee in all thy 
ways.” (Ps. xc, 11) 

The help which man receives from the lower animals, the remedies 
supplied to him by nature, the dangers of every kind from which God 
preserves him, the benefits which He heaps on him, all these are so many 
proofs of Divine Providence. 

“The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in 
a place of pasture.” (Ps. xxii, 1, 2). For though I should walk in the 
midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for Thou art with 
me.” (Ibid. 4). “Thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” 
(Ibid. 6) 

“The clouds are His covert [the impious say], and He doth not con¬ 
sider our things, and He walketh about the poles of heaven.” (Job 
xxii, 14) 

“They [the wicked] have said: The Lord hath forsaken the earth, 
and, The Lord seeth not.” (Ezech. ix, 9) 

O foolish men! 

2. But, it may be said, how can we reconcile with the care of Prov¬ 
idence so much disease } so many evils ? WFy do some suffer more than 
others? Why do good Christians suffer while the wicked prosper? 

“Thou indeed, O Lord, art just; . . . why doth the way of the 
wicked prosper?” (Jer. xii, 1) 


34 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 


Do you not know that man has sinned and therefore “deserves to suf¬ 
fer these things”? (Gen. xlii, 21) 

Moreover, if God strikes even the just, we should recognize in that 
His wisdom and goodness. Without suffering their hearts would be¬ 
come attached to things of earth, and they would forget their last end. 
And, then, God reserves another reward for them. 

“Lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile 
his soul.” (Wis. iv, 11) 

“Every sinner lives in order either that he may amend his life, or 
that the just man may be exercised (and gain more merit) through 
him.” (S. Aug.) 

“Moreover, in God’s dealings with us there are many things which 
we cannot see clearly; whether it is that He wishes to check our pride, 
or to raise our minds to heavenly and eternal things.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

“The more human help fails, the more strongly should we hope in 
the divine mercy.” (S. Ambrose) 

If you are scandalized at the prosperity of the wicked, remember 
that, “Though thou be exalted as an eagle, and though thou set thy nest 
among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” (Abd. 

4) 

“Seek not the things that are too high for thee, ... for it is not 
necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things that are hid.” 
(Eccli. iii, 22, 23) 

The wicked receive their reward in this life. 

“I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars 
of Libanus; [but] I passed by, and, lo, he was not; and I sought him, 
and his place was not found.” (Ps. xxxvi, 35, 36) 


II. WHAT WE SHOULD DO TO RESPOND TO GOD’S LOVING CARE 

We can consider the Providence of God either (1) with reference to 
the benefits we are receiving or may receive from it, or (2) with refer¬ 
ence to the evils with which it afflicts us. We should be grateful to 
God for the benefits He has bestowed on us, and have a firm confidence 
that He will give us others. We should submit to His holy will and 
receive with loving resignation the trials He sends us. 

1. We are indebted to God’s Providence for everything we possess. 
We experience at each instant His goodness, His care, His watchful¬ 
ness. What can be more just than that we should show an all-inclusive 
and constant gratitude for these favors—a universal gratitude that 
extends to all the benefits we receive; an unceasing gratitude, which is 
never interrupted and ends only with the last breath of life? In fact, 


HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND TO IT 35 

our gratitude ought to be proportioned to the benefits we receive. We 
should then feel as David felt: 

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His 
holy name.” (Ps. cii, 1) 

“Casting all your care upon him, for He hath care of you.” (1 Pet. 

v, 7 ) 

But what gratitude do we show to God for His blessings ? If we are 
sick or afflicted, we pray to Him; but if He graciously hears us, we 
never think of thanking Him. Some even make use of His favors to 
inflict outrages on Him. Let us not act in this way; on the contrary, 
let us say with David: 

“I will bless the Lord at all times.” (Ps. xxxiii, 1) 

“Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” (Ps. liv, 

23) 


2. With regard to the evils with which He afflicts us: 

“I have not seen the just forsaken nor his seed wanting bread.” 
(Ps. xxxvi, 25) 

If God has afflicted you, it is either because your confidence has not 
been strong and full, or because your life has not merited His favors, 
or because those things for which you asked would not help you in 
saving your soul, or, finally, because you have had recourse to God only 
after having experienced the weakness of human help. Should you 
be astonished that God has rejected you and sent you back to the 
strange gods in whose help you trusted? 

“Where are their gods in whom they trusted? . . . Let them arise 
and help them.” (Deut. xxxii, 37, 38) 

“The Lord of hosts hath decreed, and who can disannul it?” (Is. 
xiv, 27) 

“Who are you that tempt the Lord?” (Judith viii, 11) 

Be resigned, then, to Plis holy will. 

“For Thou [God] art not delighted in our being lost; because after 
a storm Thou makest a calm, and after tears and weeping Thou pourest 
in joyfulness.” (Job iii, 22) 

“As for us, therefore, let us not revenge ourselves for these things 
which we suffer, but, esteeming these very punishments to be less than 
our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with 
which like servants we are chastised, have happened for our amend¬ 
ment, and not for our destruction.” (Judith viii, 26, 27) 

Be assured that God is not pleased with an idle confidence which 
does not lift a hand to second His designs. (“God helps those who 
help themselves.”) 

God wishes that our confidence in Him should banish from our hearts 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 


36 

all undue anxiety regarding the necessities of this life; but He requires 
on our part a reasonable care for the success of temporal affairs. 

You do your part, and yet God afflicts you! Be resigned and adore 
the hand that strikes you. 

“The Lord killeth and maketh alive; the Lord maketh poor and 
maketh rich.” (1 Kings ii, 6, 7) 

It is not for you to demand from Him an account of what He is 
pleased to do. You say you do not know why He afflicts you? 

“Thou shalt know hereafter.” (John xiii, 17) 

“If we have received good things at the hands of God, why should 
we not receive evil?” (Job ii, 10) 

“Do not say: There is no Providence; lest God be angry at thy 
words and destroy all the works of thy hands.” (Eccles. v, 5) 

On the contrary, say: “How great are Thy works, O Lord! Thou 
hast made all things in wisdom.” (Ps. ciii, 24) 

“In Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.” (Ps. 
xxiv, 2) 

“My soul trusteth in Thee.” (Ps. lvi, 1) 

“Not my will but Thine be done.” (Luke xxii, 42) 

“Have a firm trust in God, and place yourself entirely in His hands 
as far as you can do so. He does not permit anything to happen to 
you but what is for your good, even though you may not know it to 
be so.” (S. Aug.) 


Divisions 

Our duty and our interest require us to recognize a Providence and 
to submit to it. 

1. Lawlessness of man in regard to his duty. 

There is nothing more criminal than the conduct of the man who is 
unwilling to submit to the Providence of God. He denies that Prov¬ 
idence either 

i°. By his spirit of infidelity, because he does not acknowledge it, or 
does not believe in it; or, 

2 0 . By a rebellion of soul, because, while acknowledging it and be¬ 
lieving in it, he will not yield the submission which is due to it. 

2. There is no creature more unhappy than he who does not submit 
to the guidance of Divine Providence. For then 

i°. He remains without guidance. 

2 0 . In abandoning God he forces God to abandon him. 



HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND TO IT 


37 

3°. He deprives himself of the sweetest, or rather of the only consola¬ 
tion he can have in adversity. 

4°. Unwilling to submit freely and lovingly to God, he is compelled 
to submit to Him. 


No greater outrage can be offered to God than to distrust His 
Providence. 

2. There is nothing more useless than to oppose that Providence. 

3. Nothing conduces more to our happiness than perfect submission 
to and confidence in Divine Providence. 



VII 


THE MERCY OF GOD 

“The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 

(Luke xix, io) 

Our Lord has made known in several parables how great is His 
mercy. But there are some Christians who do not put sufficient trust 
in His mercy, and there are others who rely too much on it. Let us 
show the one class how great this mercy is, and point out to the other 
what it demands of them. I. What the mercy of God does for sinners; 
II. What sinners should do to correspond to God’s mercy. 

I. WHAT THE MERCY OF GQD DOES FOR SINNERS 

Everything is sweet and consoling in the course which God in His 
mercy takes in dealing with sinners: He waits for them, invites them, 
and receives them. 

i. God waits for sinners to repent , and that by a pure effect of His 
mercy. 

“The Lord waiteth that He may have mercy on you.”(Is. xxx, 18) 

The creatures demand vengeance: “Wilt thou that we go and gather 
it up?” No, replied the Lord, “Suffer both to grow until the harvest.” 
(Matth. xiii, 30) 

“Behold for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, 
and I find none. Cut it down therefore ; why cumbereth it the ground ? 
. . . Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it and dung it. 
And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut 
it down.” (Luke xiii, 7-9) 

“O Lord, I was going away and flying farther and farther from Thee, 
and Thou didst not withdraw from me.” (S. Aug.) 

“The Lord dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should 
perish, but that all should return to penance.” (2 Pet. iii, 9) 

To-day also God awaits the sinner and punishes only with regret. 

“Touched with sorrow of heart, He says:—I will destroy man, whom 
I have created, from the face of the earth.” (Gen. vi, 7). “That the 
bitterness of our sins may be expressed.” (S. Aug.) 

“I will destroy.” He speaks in the future to show that He gives 
sinners time to appease His anger. 

38 


WHAT IT DOES FOR SINNERS 39 

They waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the 
ark was a building.” (1 Pet. iii, 20) 

“The Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compas¬ 
sion.” (Exod. xxxiv, 6) 

“O how good and sweet is Thy spirit, O Lord, in all things! And 
therefore Thou chastisest them that err, by little and little; and ad- 
monishest them and speakest to them, concerning the things wherein 
they offend; that leaving their wickedness, they may believe in Thee, 
O Lord.” (Wis. xii, 1-2) 

“The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed; because His 
commiserations have not failed.” (Lam. iii, 22) 

“God endured with much patience vessels of wrath fitted for destruc¬ 
tion.” (Rom. ix, 22) 

“Mercy exalteth itself above judgment.” (Jas. ii, 13) 

“The mercy of God is so great that it cannot be explained in any 
words, understood by any created intelligence, or conceived by any 
mind. It is above human reason.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. God invites sinners to do penance. 

“[Jerusalem], thou has prostituted thyself to many lovers; never¬ 
theless return to Me, and I will receive thee, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 
iii, 1) 

“Come to Me, all you that labor and are burthened and I will re¬ 
fresh you.” (Matth. xi, 28) 

Think of Our Saviour seeking for the lost sheep. See how His 
heart is filled with compassion for all sinners. 

“I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the 
just, but sinners.” (Matth. ix, 13) 

“Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered together thy children, 
as a hen doth gather her chickens under her wings.” (Math, xxiii, 37) 
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn 
thee, taking pity on thee.” (Jer. xxxi, 3) 

It is this same mercy that is constantly urging and entreating sinners 
to do penance; and if they return to God and correspond faithfully 
with His graces,— 

3. He receives them hack into His friendship, and pardons them 
without delay. 

“For He is bountiful to forgive.” (Is. lv, 7) 

See the proof of this in the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

“He wasted his substance living riotously . . . and he would fain 
have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat. . . . And 
returning to himself he said ... I will arise and will go to my father. 


40 


THE MERCY OF GOD 


. . . And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was 
moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck and 
kissed him. . . . The father said: Bring forth quickly the first robe,” 
etc. (Luke xv, 13 sqq.). '“It was fit that we should make merry and 
be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is come to life again; he 
was lost and is found.” {Ibid. 32) 

Consider the application of this parable. As soon as the sinner forms 
the resolution to return to God and to abandon sin, Almighty God sees 
him afar off and runs to meet him, by strengthening him with grace; 
He embraces him by filling him with consolation, and re-establishes him 
in a state of grace by pardoning all his sins. 

“Know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been con¬ 
founded.” (Eccli. ii, 11) 

“Ye that fear the Lord believe Him; and your reward shall not be 
made void.” (Eccli. ii, 8) 

“Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to 
His mercy He saved us.” (Tit. iii, 5) 

“Thou hast mercy upon all, because Thou canst do all things, and 
overlookest the sins of men, for the sake of repentance.” (Wis. xi, 24) 

Sinners, see how the mercy of God deals with you. See what great 
cause you have for placing full confidence in Him. But lest that con¬ 
fidence should degenerate into presumption, consider 

II. WHAT SINNERS SHOULD DO TO CORRESPOND TO GOD’S MERCY 

Sinners, (1) the mercy of God awaits you: you must not try His 
patience too far; (2) His mercy calls and lovingly invites you: you 
should listen to it and run to meet it; (3) it receives you and pardons 
you: you should remain faithful. 

1. The mercy of God bears with and waits for you, and you add sin 
to sin. God has been waiting for you many years. He is always near 
you in order to give you an opportunity of returning to Him. If you 
do not seize this opportunity, there is perhaps only one small thread 
by which mercy holds back the sword of His vengeance; and if that 
thread snaps asunder, the time of repentance is gone forever. Shall 
it be said, then, that because God is waiting for you, you will never 
do penance? 

“Despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long- 
suffering? Knowest thou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to 
penance? But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou 
treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation 
of the just judgment of God, who will render to every one according to 
his works.” (Rom. ii, 4-6) 


WHAT SINNERS SHOULD DO 


4 i 


In reality, what hardness of heart can equal that of a man who is 
not touched at the sight of the goodness and mercy of God wait¬ 
ing until the sinner repents? God has done all He could for the salva¬ 
tion of the sinner. He has given him faith, and has taught him to dis¬ 
tinguish good from evil; He has made known to him the riches of His 
divine mercy, in order to draw him to Himself; and that the sinner 
may be moved to repentance through fear, if not through love, God 
threatens him with the rigors of His judgments. And yet the sinner is 
not converted. “Thou treasurest up to thyself wrath.” 

“The mercy of the Lord is from eternity unto eternity, [but only] 
upon them that fear Him.” (Ps. cii, 17) 

“The eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him; and on them 
that hope in His mercy.” (Ps. xxxii, 18) 

“Say not: The mercy of the‘Lord is great, He will have mercy on 
the multitude of my sins. For mercy and wrath quickly come from 
Him, and His wrath looketh upon sinners.” (Eccli. v, 5, 7) 

“God knows how to alter His sentence, if you know how to change 
your life.” (S. Jerome) 

“They abuse the patience of God, and while their conscience tells 
them they are not free from sin, they come to feel safe through long 
impunity, though God postpones His vengeance only to give them time 
for repentance.” (S. Leo) 

2. His mercy calls and lovingly invites you: you must go to meet it. 
There is a law according to which God wishes to show you mercy: 
“Have mercy on me according to Thy law.” (S. Ambrose). That law 
is the union of your will with the will of God. He desires to save you, 
but you yourself must desire it also. “He who created you without 
your help will not save you without your help.” (S. Aug.) He holds 
out His hand to us, we must give ours to Him. He demands from 
us a will which corresponds to the eagerness of His mercy, a will that 
makes us say with S. Paul: 

“Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts ix, 6) 

God goes after sinners and calls them even when they are persecut¬ 
ing Him. Sinners, how often have you not heard the voice of God in 
your hearts at the very moment you were offending Him ? How many 
times, when there was question of perpetrating an injustice or indulg¬ 
ing in an impure act, did not God say to you: My child, why do you 
persecute me? “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Acts ix, 5) 
What should you do in such circumstances ? 

“Thou shalt call me and I will answer Thee: to the work of Thy 
hands Thou shalt reach out Thy right hand. Thou indeed hast num¬ 
bered my steps, but spare my sins.” (Job xiv, 15-16) 


42 THE MERCY OF GOD 

“I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost: seek Thy servant^ 
(Ps. cxviii, 176) 

“How great is the mercy of the Lord, and His forgiveness to them 
that turn to Him.” (Eccli. xvii, 28) 

“God spares you that you may amend your lives, not that you may 
continue in sin.” (S. Aug.) 

“A presumptuous confidence in God deserves His vengeance rather 
than His mercy.” (S. Greg.) 

“God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way; and 
God had mercy with regard to the evil which He had said that He would 
do to them, and He did it not.” (Jonas iii, 10) 

“Return to Me, saith the Lord, and I will receive thee.” (Jer. iii, 

1) 

“I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from 
his way and live.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 11) 

3. Finally, when God receives back and pardons the sinner, the sinner 
on his side should remain faithful unto death. He should not relapse 
into his former sins; but, filled with a lively gratitude, he should always 
remember what the mercy of God has done for him; and he should al¬ 
ways praise the name of the Lord, who has caused His infinite goodness 
to shine forth in withdrawing him from the abyss into which sin had 
plunged him. 

“I will glorify Thy name for ever; for Thy mercy is great towards 
me, and Thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower hell.” (Ps. 
lxxxv, 12-13) 

“The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever.” (Ps. lxxxviii, 1) 

Have a firm hope in the mercy of God, you who are free from sin; 
but persevere in grace, so that God may crown all His gifts to you by 
rewarding your merits. Sinners, do you also hope in God; but do 
penance. To do penance without hope is the destiny and the punish¬ 
ment of the evil spirits; to hope without doing penance is the presump¬ 
tion of libertines. 

“Let not this great hour of mercy pass away from you without fruit; 
for the judgment of God is approaching, and then there will be repent¬ 
ance, but it will be too late. A time will come when there will be no 
room for salutary repentance, or for hope in God, for the fountains 
of His mercy will be dried up.” (S. Bern.) 

“For as much as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this 
same thing, and with many tears let us beg His pardon.” (Judith viii, 
14 ) 

“God, as you say, has promised to forgive you if you repent, but has 
He promised you tomorrow if you defer your conversion? He opens 


WHAT SINNERS SHOULD DO 


43 


a secure harbor of repentance for those who are in danger of perish¬ 
ing through despair; but because of those who are shipwrecked by de¬ 
lay, He has made the hour of death uncertain.” (S. Aug.) 

“My God, my life, who didst pursue me when I was forgetful of 
Thee.” (S. Aug.) “Have mercy on me . . . according to Thy great 
mercy.” (Ps. 1 , i) 

“I cried to Thee, O Lord, I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in 
the land of the living.” (Ps. cxli, 6) 


Divisions 

I. No one should presume on the mercy of God in order to commit 
sin, 

i°. Because such resumption is in itself absolutely rash; 

2°. It is usually fatal to the sinner; 

3°. It is always very offensive to God. 

II. When the sinner seriously begins the work of his conversion, he 
should never despair of the mercy of God, 

i°. Because God seeks us; 

2°. He knows all our misery; 

3°. He wishes to pardon us, though we are sinners. 


God in His mercy for sinners 

1. Waits for them patiently; they should not abuse His mercy by 
wearing out the patience with which He waits. 

2. Forgives them with generosity; they should not cause pain or 
sorrow to that mercy which feels a great joy at their return. 

3. Protects them with infinite power; they should never separate 
themselves from that mercy which guards them with so great care. 


There is no attribute of God more worthy of our love than His 
mercy and His patience in bearing with sin and awaiting the return of 

the sinner. . 

1. He pretends, as it were, not to notice our sins: Thou overlookest 

the sins for the sake of repentance. (Wis. xi, 24) 

2. He not only overlooks sin, but sometimes even excuses it. 





44 


THE MERCY OF GOD 


3. When He can neither overlook nor excuse it, He shows His pa¬ 
tience by bearing with the sinner and waiting for his return. 

4. When He is forced to think of vengeance, He threatens before¬ 
hand. 

5. When the sinner is not touched by those menaces, God looks for 
souls to appease Him, to place themselves between His anger and the 
sinner. 

6. When at length He is obliged to punish, He punishes with regret, 
‘‘touched with grief(Nepveu, Pensees Chretiennes .) 


VIII 


THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John i, 16) 

When the time appointed by God from all eternity to redeem man and 
give a Saviour to the world had arrived, the angel Gabriel was sent to 
the Virgin Mary. . . . “And the Word was made flesh.” Let us strive 
to penetrate, as far as faith permits, the profound depths of this mys¬ 
tery, to discover therein the excess of love which God has manifested 
for us. But we must not be content with fruitless speculation; we 
must force ourselves to show to God the deep gratitude which so great 
a love deserves from us. I. What has been the love of God for man in 
the mystery of the Incarnation? II. What should be our love for the 
Son of God made Man? 

I. WHAT HAS BEEN THE LOVE OF GOD FOR MAN IN THE MYSTERY 
OF THE INCARNATION 

I. What is the Incarnation? You profess full belief in the Incarna¬ 
tion of the Son of God. Let us enter into this mystery of charity, 
which God has manifested to men: “The goodness and kindness of 
God our Saviour appeared.” (Tit. iii, 4). Let us see in it (1) the 
most compassionate love which has caused God to free us from the 
state of misery to which sin had reduced us; (2) the most generous 
love which led Him to sacrifice all for our deliverance. 

1. The Most Compassionate Love 

Let us call to mind the sad state to which sin had reduced us. 

“By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death.” (Rom. 
v, 12) 

When we became children of wrath, Heaven was closed against us; 
we were condemned to death, and to all the other miseries which ac¬ 
company the sad condition of man. What would have become of us 
if God, touched by our misery, had not stretched out His hand to draw 
us out of the abyss into which we had fallen ? 

“Who hath washed us from our sins in His own blood.” (Apoc. i, 

5) 


45 


46 THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 

“He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people.” (Luke 
i> 69) 

“When the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a 
woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them who were 
under the law; that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal. iv, 
4 , 5 ) 

“Who for us men, and for our salvation descended from heaven.” 
(Creed) 

“The unsearchable riches of Christ . . . and the dispensation of the 
mystery which hath been hidden from eternity in God.” (Eph. iii, 8, 
9 ) 

“By love the invisible God has become like to His slaves.” (S. Aug.) 

“O wonderful condescension! O supreme humility! O unlooked 
for charity! O stupendous love! When slime is united to God, when 
the Highest becomes the lowest, when the Strongest becomes weak.” 
(S. Bonav.) 


2. The Most Generous Love 

What price does He not give for our ransom? Who could give to 
the justice of God that satisfaction which He rigorously demanded. . . . 
Man himself could not give it. “He shall not give to God his ransom.” 
(Ps. xlviii, 8). He could not have recourse to his fellow-men: “No 
brother can redeem” ( Ibid .) ; nor to the angels. Yet 

“Such was the nature of sin that man only could atone for it; because 
it was man who had sinned. It was therefore necessary that He who 
was God should become man.” (S. Aug.) 

But Jesus Christ became man, and in His person, “Mercy and truth 
have met each other; justice and peace have kissed.” (Ps. lxxxiv, 11) 
“They have had each his rights: mercy has pardoned guilty man, and 
justice has been satisfied. And so earth has been reconciled to Heaven, 
man to God. 

Is there not here the proof of a most generous love on the part of 
God ? . . . When God created man one word of His was sufficient: 
“Let us make man to Our image and likeness.” (Gen. i, 26) 

But to redeem him it cost the Eternal Father His only-begotten Son: 
“God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son.” (John 
iii, 16) 

“Who emptied Himself taking the form of a servant.” (Phil, ii, 7) 
“Wherefore when He cometh unto the world, He saith: Sacrifice 
and oblation thou wouldst not; but a body Thou hast fitted to me. 
Holocausts for sin did not please Thee. Then said I: Behold, I 
come . . . that I should do Thy will, O God.” (Heb. x, 5-7) 

What an excess of God’s love for man! Could angels or men ever 


GOD’S LOVE FOR MAN 


47 


have imagined such an expedient? And if God had permitted us to 
demand our ransom at so great a price, should we ever have dared to 
carry our hopes so far ? 

“Why did Christ ... die for the ungodly? For scarce for a just 
man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man some one would dare to 
die. But God commendeth His charity towards us; because when as 
yet we were sinners . . . Christ died for us.” (Rom. v, 6-9) 

“O inestimable love of charity! To redeem a slave thou hast de¬ 
livered up the Son of God.” (S. Greg.) 

“He [Christ] comes as a physician to those who are sick, as a re¬ 
deemer to those who are sold, as life to the dead.” (S. Bern.) 

II. WHAT SHOULD BE OUR LOVE FOR THE SON OF GOD MADE MAN 

What love! Was there ever love more compassionate or generous? 
What should be our love for a God made man? Love is repaid only 
by love. “Let us therefore love God because God hath first loved us.” 
(John iv, 19) 

This immense love of God demands from us (1) a tender and 
grateful love in return for His favors; (2) a generous love that makes 
us submit to His will. 

1. What should be our gratitude to a rich man who delivered us 
from prison! What should it be if this rich man took our punishment 
on himself in order to set us free, if he offered to die in order to 
save our life? What do I say? Though he were only a man like 
ourselves, even the poorest of men, to whom we were indebted for 
liberty and life, . . . what should not our gratitude be! But, as you 
know, it is not simply a man, it is not a prince or king of this world, 
it is the only-begotten Son of the Most High who has delivered us. 

“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things 
as gold and silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of 
your fathers ; but with the precious Blood of Christ.” (1 Pet. i, 18, 19) 

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath trans¬ 
lated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Coloss, i, 13) 

But what ingratitude! “There hath stood One in the midst of you 
whom you know not.” (John i, 26) 

To this love of God we return only insults and outrages! And 
nevertheless 

“This is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (John xvii, 3) 

2. A generous love, in sacrificing our hearts to Him by a perfect 
obedience to His laws. He does not ask for worldly goods: “Thou 


48 


THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 


hast no need of my goods.” (Ps. xv, 2). He demands our hearts: 
“My son, give me thy heart.” (Prov. xxiii, 26) 

In order to gain our hearts, He made Himself like to us. “Being 
made in the likeness of men.” (Phil, ii, 7) 

But what did not this act of humility cost Him ? He despoiled Him¬ 
self of His grandeur in order to clothe Himself with our vileness. He 
submitted to the rigorous commands of His Father not only by ap¬ 
pearing as a sinner, but by being treated as one, loaded with all the 
iniquities of the world. Is not this paying very dearly for our love? 
And has He not the right to demand our whole being, since He has 
given Himself entirely to us? 

“He who redeemed me wholly by His entire self demands my whole 
being.” (S. Bern.) 

We must then consecrate to Him all the movements of our heart; 
we must detach our heart from everything that would dispute with 
Him the possession of it; banish from it sin and everything that can 
be an occasion of sin; resist those perverse inclinations that draw 
us to creatures, sacrifice this passion that dominates us, this resentment 
that makes us bitter. 

“You were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk as 
children of the light. For the fruit of the light is all goodness, and 
justice, and truth; proving what is well-pleasing to God.” (Eph. 
v, 8-10) 

Is it possible that a God should have done so much to destroy the 
reign of sin in us, and that we should yet allow ourselves to be ruled 
by it? Is it possible that He should have broken our chains, and that 
we should again deliver ourselves to bondage? 

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” (John vi, 69) 

“My heart is ready, O Lord, my heart is ready.” (Ps. lvi, 8) 


Divisions 

The Incarnation is the mystery of the goodness and love of God for 
man. By the Incarnation of the Word we became children of God. 
Because the Divine Word could not clothe Himself with the flesh 
of man without contracting the closest relationship with men, and 
from the moment He so united us with Himself that we make only 
one body with Him, we can say, in the true and real sense, that we 
are children of God. This being so, let us consider, (1) what we owe 
to God; (2) what we owe to ourselves. 

1. As children of God we owe to Him obedience to His commands 
and seal for His glory. Without that, what will it avail us to call Him 



WE SHOULD LOVE CHRIST 49 

our Father? If this obedience and this zeal cause us suffering, they 
have caused Christ more and much greater suffering. 

2. As children of God we should not degrade our noble position by 
conduct which makes us unworthy of it. (Bourdaloue, Second Sermon 
on the Incarnation.) 


1. A God who has humbled Himself so much, renders humiliations 
honorable. 

2. A God overwhelmed with sorrow renders sufferings desirable. 

3. A God united to man strikes reason dumb and makes faith 
reasonable. (Massillon) 


The mystery of the Incarnation is, 

1. A mystery of justice that renders perfect honor to the Majesty of 
God, and to His holiness all the satisfaction it demands for sin. 

2. A mystery of salvation and peace, which restores to man his 
claim to eternal happiness. 




IX 


OBLIGATION OF KNOWING JESUS CHRIST 

“The world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” (John 
i, io) 

The blindness of the Jews has come down to us. Jesus Christ is 
in the midst of us in a more striking manner than He was among the 
Jews during His mortal life. But is He known, served and adored as 
He should be? I. Obligation of knowing Jesus Christ; II. The greater 
number do not know Him. 

I. WE MUST SEEK TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST 

Faith and the knowledge of Jesus Christ are the beginning, the 
foundation of religion. 

“For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid, which 
is Jesus Christ.” (i Cor. iii, n) 

“This is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (John xvii, 3) 

We must then know Jesus Christ; and what must we know of Him? 
Two things at least: (1) What He is; (2) what He has done for us. 

1. What He is 

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who became man, the Eternal Son 
of the Eternal Father, equal to Him in power. 

According to His ministry He is our Redeemer. “God so loved the 
world as to give His only-begotten Son.” (John iii, 16) 

Jesus Christ became the Redeemer not of the angels, but of men. 
“For nowhere doth He take hold of the angels; but of the seed of 
Abraham He taketh hold.” (Heb. ii, 16) 

What gratitude is there not demanded from us by a preference which 
is so advantageous to us? 

“He seized hold of the human race that was wandering farther and 
farther away from Him.” (S. Aug.) 

He is the Good Shepherd, who, having one hundred sheep, left ninety- 
nine of them in the desert, that is, the angels in Heaven, to come on 
earth and seek the lost sheep, that is, fallen man. He is the Good 

50 


WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US 51 

Samaritan that had pity on the wounded man (Luke x, 30). Who is 
this wounded man ? It is he whom sin has wounded. 

The Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost.” 
(Luke xix, 10) 

A great physician came from Heaven because on earth man was 
lying sick unto death.” (S. Aug.) 

That is the character of the Divine Redeemer, that is the idea which 
we should form of Him. He is a God full of love and goodness. 

^As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you.” (John xv, 9) 

“He hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” 
(1 Pet. ii, 9) 

Do we wish for a convincing proof of His love for us? Let us 
consider the price He paid for our ransom. 

2. What He has done for us 

What was the price of our redemption, and what should we know 
regarding it ? Consider what St. Paul says of it. 

“Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to 
be partakers of the lot of the saints in light; who hath delivered us 
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom 
of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His 
Blood, the remission of sin” (Col. i, 12-14), “making peace through 
the blood of His cross, both as to the things on earth, and the things 
that are in heaven.” {Ibid, v, 20) 

“O precious price paid for those who were lost! Great was my 
iniquity, but greater was Thy redemption.” (S. Aug.) 

“The charity of Christ presseth us.” (2 Cor. v, 14) 

The charity of Christ demands that we turn our hearts to Him. 
But how can we know that the charity of Jesus Christ presses us if 
we do (not know that charity? Woe to us if we neglect to gain a 
knowledge of it! Because without that knowledge we shall never have 
part in the salvation and the grace of the Redeemer. 

Ignorance of the essential truths of faith, and especially of the Di¬ 
vinity of Jesus Christ, is inexcusable, and those who sin through ig¬ 
norance because they have neglected to learn the things they should 
know, are not to be excused any more than the Scribes and the 
Pharisees. 

II. THE GREATER PART OF MANKIND DO NOT KNOW JESUS 
CHRIST 

The world does not know Christ. The greater number of men 
have no faith at all, or at least they have only a very imperfect faith. 
They say they believe in God; why, then, do they not believe in Jesus 


52 


OBLIGATION OF KNOWING JESUS CHRIST 


Christ, His Son, by and in whom He wishes to be believed, known, 
served and adored? “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 
xiv, i). Nevertheless, it is this faith in Christ which is unknown, or 
which is sometimes even denied. 

1. It is unknown : “For if they had known it, they would never have 
crucified the Lord of glory.” (i Cor. ii, 8) 

“He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the 
death of the cross” (Phil, ii, 8) ; and they did not understand this. 

“We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling, and 
unto the gentiles foolishness.” (i Cor. i, 23) And this ignorance 
reigns in the world even in our day; there are many who are learned 
and enlightened, but “This is not wisdom descending from above, but 
earthly, sensual, devilish, for they are liars against the truth.” (Jas. 

iii, 15, 14) 

How many there are who have no idea of Jesus Christ or of His 
teaching, who sell their souls to the evil spirit for a little gold. Would 
they act thus if they considered that 

“You were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, 
from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers; but 
with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and un¬ 
defiled.” (1 Pet. i, 18-19) 

They call themselves Christians, and they know nothing of the life 
of Christ. His holy mysteries are celebrated, and people pay no at¬ 
tention to them. They do not desire to be instructed in them. Is 
there a play, a worldly assembly, they hasten to it with joy. If a 
preacher speaks of Jesus Christ, they quit the church as soon as pos¬ 
sible, or if through a kind of propriety they remain there, they listen to 
the sermons and instructions with weariness and dislike. ... Is it 
astonishing if faith in Jesus Christ is so little known in the world? 

“Who have said to God [and to His priests] : Depart from us, we 
desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.” (Job xxi, 14) 

“Who as it were on purpose have revolted from Him, and would 
not understand all His ways.” (Job xxxiv, 27) 

2. This faith is even contradicted .—“There is a great difference be¬ 
tween believing that Jesus Christ is the God-Man, and putting one’s 
trust in Him.” (S. Aug.) Belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ is 
common to all Christians. But to believe in Him so as to put all trust 
in Him, that is, to be guided by His Gospel, to love His teaching, to 
submit to His law, it is with this that the daily life of the world is 
inconsistent. 

“They profess that they know God; but in their works they deny 
Him.” (1 Tit. i, 16) 


MOST MEN DO NOT KNOW HIM 


53 

Christ says: “The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence. . . . Nar¬ 
row is the way that leads to life. ... If any one wishes to come after 
Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me”; 
that is to say, we should imitate Him, speak, act, and live as He. Does 
the world understand this teaching, does it follow it, does it practise it? 

Nevertheless it is God who speaks and commands, and whom we are 
bound to obey. 

“Where is the Catholic law which they believe? Where are the 
precepts of chastity and piety which they learn? They read the Gospel 
and lead impure lives; they hear the Apostles and are guilty of 
drunkenness; they call themselves followers of Christ and they steal; 
they lead wicked lives and say they possess a holy law.” (Salvian) 

Is that putting trust in Jesus Christ? 

“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. . . . The 
light shineth in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 
(John i, ii, 5) 

“There hath stood One in the midst of you whom you know not.” 
(John i, 26) 

Let it not be so with us. 

“I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered 
Himself up for me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 

Such should be our confidence in this adorable Redeemer: a con¬ 
fidence which should animate a Christian in the midst of the world, 
when his salvation appears to be in the greatest danger. 

“I will not leave you orphans.” (John xiv, 18) 

“Have confidence, I have overcome the world.” (John xvi, 33) 
“This is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (John xvii, 3) 

“Seek ye the Lord while He can be found.” (Is. lv, 6) 

“And you shall find rest to your souls.” (Matth. xi, 29) 

“You therefore, brethren, . . . grow in grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. iii, 17-18) 

“I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ; 
and Him crucified.” (1 Cor. ii, 2) 


Divisions 

I. Every man naturally desires knowledge, and the intellect of man 
applies itself especially to gain information concerning that which is 
most beautiful and perfect, the knowledge of which is more certain, 
more advantageous. But there is no science more deserving of earnest 
study than the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His teaching. 



54 


OBLIGATION OF KNOWING JESUS CHRIST 


i°. Is there any object more beautiful, more perfect, than Christ? 

2°. Is there anything more certain than what faith teaches us con¬ 
cerning Him ? 

3°. Is there any knowledge more profitable, more capable of lead¬ 
ing the heart and soul of man to perfection? 

4°. In a word, is there anything more indispensable than the knowl¬ 
edge of Jesus Christ? 

II. What qualities should our knowledge of Christ possess? It 
should be, 

i°. Serious and considerate, instructing us, as much as possible, in 
all that concerns the life and doctrine of Our Lord. 

2°. Full of love and affection; it is not a purely speculative knowh 
edge; it ought to be in the heart more than in the intellect. 

3°. It should have a practical influence on our lives: “He who 
saith that he knoweth Him [God], and doth not keep His command¬ 
ments, is a liar.” (i John ii, 4). “By this we know that we have 
known Him, if we keep His commandments.” {Ibid. 3) 


X 


DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST 

“That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts.” (Eph. iii, 17) 

The Christian life consists in our possessing Jesus Christ in our 
hearts by faith; but to possess Him in this way we must love His 
cross and passion. Those who take pleasure in the follies of the 
world must have forgotten Christ crucified; for the remembrance of 
that suffering Redeemer is sufficient to inspire us with horror of 
everything that would offend Him. We should frequently make His 
sufferings the subject of our meditation, for of all devotions such 
meditation is, I. The most pleasing to God; II. The most beneficial to a 
Christian. 


I. MEDITATION ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST IS MOST PLEASING 

TO GOD 

That which generally occupied the thoughts of our Divine Lord, of 
His Blessed Mother, and of the saints, is beyond doubt most pleasing 
in the sight of God. But meditation on the passion of Christ has 
been the great occupation of our adorable Saviour, of the Blessed 
Virgin, and of the saints. 

1. Christ not only suffered joyfully the death of the cross: “Who 
having joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame” 
(Heb. xii, 2) ; but He took pleasure in thinking of it all His life: “I 
have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straitened 
until it be accomplished.” (Luke xii, 50) 

See how in the Gospel He relates to His Apostles all the circum¬ 
stances of His passion and death: 

“He shall be delivered to the gentiles to be mocked, and spat upon 
and scourged . . . after they have scourged Him they will put Him 
to death . . . and on the third day He will rise again.” (Mark x, 34). 
He has no sooner assumed human nature, than He begins to think 
how He should one day be immolated for the salvation of sinners: 

“A body Thou hast fitted to Me. . . . Then said I: Behold I come.” 
(Heb. x, 5, 7) 


55 


56 DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST 

He said by the mouth of the prophet: 

‘‘My life is wasted with grief, and my tears in sighs.” (Ps. 
xxx, n) 

Hence His question to the sons of Zebedee: “Can you drink the 
chalice that I shall drink?” (Matth. xx, 22) 

Thus you see that the passion of Christ did not occupy His thoughts 
merely in a passing way, or from time to time; He had it always be¬ 
fore His mind, He was constantly thinking of it. 

2. The disciples of the Saviour, walking in the footsteps of their 
divine Master, have always had a tender and loving devotion to His 
passion. But of all the saints there is not one who has felt the suf¬ 
ferings of the Son of God as keenly as His Blessed Mother. “A 
sword of sorrow pierced her heart,” not only when she stood at 
the foot of the cross, but also during her whole life. Thus the Church 
applies to her the words: 

“O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any 
sorrow like to my sorrow.” (Lam. i, 12) 

The mother of sorrows stood weeping near the cross. (Stabat 
mater .) 

The Apostles had a most earnest desire to inflame the hearts of 
their hearers with the love of Jesus crucified. They were never 
ashamed of that cross; they preached it at all times and in all places: 
“We preach Christ crucified.” (1 Cor. i, 23) 

St. Paul, writing to the Hebrews, exhorts them to keep the memory 
of the passion always before them: 

“Think diligently upon Him that endured such opposition from 
sinners against Himself: that you be not wearied, fainting in your 
minds.” (Heb. xii, 3) 

He wishes us to keep it before our minds even until the last com¬ 
ing of Jesus Christ. 

“You shall show the death of the Lord until He come.” (1 Cor. 
xi, 26) 

“I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered 
Himself for me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 

Since the chief occupation of Christ during His mortal life was 
thinking of that cruel death which He should suffer for our sins; 
since the Blessed Virgin, the Apostles, the whole Church, have made 
the passion of our Saviour the principal object of their piety, their de¬ 
votion, their gratitude to God, let us frequently think of it, and fer¬ 
vently embrace so holy a practice; because devotion to the passion is 
not only most pleasing to God, it is also most helpful to us in the work 
of our salvation. 


MOST BENEFICIAL TO A CHRISTIAN 


57 


II. MEDITATION ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST IS MOST 
BENEFICIAL TO A CHRISTIAN 

There is nothing more profitable to us than meditation on the passion 
of Christ. It is the great remedy for all our wounds, a remedy that 
will most certainly heal them. It is the most efficacious means (i) 
of turning us away from sin, (2) of leading us to the practice of virtue. 

1. It turns us away from sin. 

The Israelites murmured against God in the desert; and to punish 
them God sent them fiery serpents, whose bite burned like fire. (Num. 
xxi, 6). Moses interceded for them. God commanded him to make 
a brazen serpent, “which when they that were bitten looked upon, they 
were healed.” {Ibid, xxi, 9). Christ Himself has explained this 
figure: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the 
Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him may not 
perish, but may have life everlasting.” (John iii, 14, 15) 

“What was that serpent that was raised up? The death of our 
Lord on the Cross. As those who looked upon that serpent did not 
perish from the bite of the fiery serpents, so those who look with 
faith upon the death of Christ, will be freed from the wound of sin.” 
(S. Aug.) 

There is no vice for which we do not find a remedy in meditating 
on the passion of Christ. His body torn by scourges is a remedy 
against impurity; His great poverty, against avarice; His meekness, 
against anger; His spirit of forgiveness, against revenge. In a word: 
“This medicine given to man is so great that nothing greater can be 
thought of.” (S. Aug.) 

Sinners, even if your hearts were as hard as marble, meditation on 
the passion of Christ would soften them. You cannot be more 
hardened than were the Jews; yet see what our Lord says of them: 
“I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers; and they shall look upon 
me, whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for Him as one 
mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over Him, as the 
manner is to grieve for the death of the first-born.” (Zach. xii, 10) 

This prophecy was accomplished with regard to the Jews, who were 
converted on the day of Pentecost; why should it not have the same 
effect on you? 

2. It leads us to the practice of virtue. 

This holy practice will produce in our souls not only a hatred of 
vice, but also a love of virtue. Our Lord has said: And I, if I be 


58 DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST 

lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” (John xii, 32) 

“O Lord, Thou hast drawn all things to Thyself.” (S. Leo.) 

Yes, it is by His cross that Christ has drawn to Himself both Jew 
and gentile, Greek and barbarian. It is from His cross that He ex¬ 
horts us to become saints, that He teaches us to despise the things of 
this world as worthless when compared with those of eternity. 

“Because if these things were worthy of love, the God-Man would 
love them.” (S. Aug.) 

It is from His cross also that He teaches us not to fear insults 
or persecution, “because if these things were injurious to men, the 
Man-God would not have suffered them.” (S. Aug.) “This cross 
encourages us to suffer them.” (Id.) 

Where is the man, however poor, sick, or afflicted, who would dare 
to complain if he compared his own sufferings with those Christ en¬ 
dured for our sake? He would see that though he may have suffered 
much, he must suffer infinitely more, before his sufferings could equal 
those of Jesus Christ. 

“Our greatest sufferings become trivial in the presence of the 
passion of our Lord” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

But, alas! there are few who think of the passion and death of our 
dear Redeemer. “With desolation is all the land made desolate, because 
there is none that considereth in the heart.” (Jer. xii, 11) 

Ah! Lord, who could tell what occupies the thoughts and affections 
of men on this earth? Are we not forced to say that men occupy them¬ 
selves with everything but You? And must it not be said further, that 
the greater number of them think only of what displeases You, of¬ 
fends You, and crucifies You anew? Let us at least not carry our in¬ 
gratitude so far. Let us keep always before our minds the thought 
of a God crucified for love of us. 

“Christ therefore having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed 
with the same thought.” (1 Pet. iv, 1) 


Division 

In order to understand clearly the meaning of these words, which 
human nature finds so hard and bitter: “Blessed are they that mourn; 
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake,” consider 
these four circumstances in the death of Jesus Christ: 

1. Who is He that suffers? He is the supreme Lord of all, who 
gives life and takes it away. He is the Word of God. 

2. After having carefully considered who it is that suffers, ask your- 



MOST BENEFICIAL TO A CHRISTIAN 59 

self for whom He suffers. “He has loved me, and delivered Himself 
for me.” 

3. What He has suffered. 

4. How gladly He suffered, urged on by His great love for us. 
“He was offered because He Himself wished it, because He loved 


XI 


THE WORK OF SALVATION 

“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the 
loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

Jesus Christ came on earth to show us the necessity of working to 
save our souls and how to do so. In all He said, in all He did, He had 
that one object in view. Let us listen to this Divine Master and 
profit by His teaching. Let us consider: I. How we should regard 
the affair of salvation; II. How we should work at it. 

I. HOW WE SHOULD REGARD THE AFFAIR OF SALVATION 

One day, when our Blessed Lord entered Bethania, a woman named 
Martha received Him into her house. Mary, the sister of Martha, sat 
at the feet of the Saviour listening to His divine word. Martha, seeing 
herself charged with the whole work, lovingly complained to our Lord. 
Jesus answered her: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art 
troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary; Mary hath 
chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 
x, 41, 42) 

That one necessary thing to which Jesus Christ wishes us to pay 
the most earnest attention is the question of our salvation. 

“Reflect seriously on that one thing, because it is the one thing that 
is necessary, and it is infinitely more important than all others.” 
(S. Aug.) 

Consider the salvation of your soul as your one important business. 

1. Our salvation is a matter for ourselves alone, a matter that con¬ 
cerns each one personally, of which each one shall have to give an ac¬ 
count, and which may not be confided to the care of others. 

“We entreat you, brethren, that you abound more; and that you use 
your endeavor to be quiet, and that you do your own business.” 
(1 Thess. iv, 10, 11) 

“Every one shall bear his own burden. ... Be not deceived: God 
is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he 
reap.” (Gal. vi, 5, 7, 8) 

“He who created you without your help will not save you without 
your help.” (S. Aug.) 


60 


HOW WE SHOULD REGARD IT 


61 


* Take heed to yourself, O man! Take heed to yourself, that is, to 
your soul, which you know is your nobler part, which you know is your 
whole self, which you know is your better part.” (S. Ambr.) 

Reflect, then, seriously on yourself. I say on yourself, not on 
your money; I say on yourself, not on your land and property. Re¬ 
flect on yourself, not on that body which is only dust and ashes, but on 
your soul, which ought to be so precious to you. How foolish are 
those who think so little of their salvation that they trust to their 
heirs to do that which, if done by themselves, would contribute much 
more powerfully to their sanctification. Those pious legacies, those 
alms, those restitutions. ... Why do you not attend to them your¬ 
selves? Is there not reason to fear that your heirs may neglect 
them? 

“Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul?” (Eccli. 

x, 3 2 ) 

“What exchange shall a man give for his soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

“If thou be wise, thou shalt be so to thyself.” (Prov. ix, 12) 

2. Salvation is a most important business. Of what is there ques¬ 
tion in this affair of salvation? Of gaining infinite, incomparable 
treasures: 

“Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 
(1 Cor. xi, 9) 

“These goods surpass all that can be wished for or desired: they 
can be acquired, they cannot be valued.” (S. Aug.) 

There is question of avoiding eternal evils. 

“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matth. viii, 12) 

“I am tormented in this flame.” (Luke xvi, 24) 

“Fire shall devour them.” (Ps. xx, 10) 

Voluptuaries, will you say that you have lost your soul, but that at 
least you have satisfied your passions? Avaricious, ambitious men, 
will you say that you have lost your soul, but that at least you have 
gained so much goods? Fools, do you not know that the whole world 
is not worth one soul ? 

“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer 
the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

If we consider the conduct of the great majority of men, should we 
not be inclined to say that their salvation is to them a trifle rather than 
an important matter? What do men do from morning till night for 
the salvation of their souls? 

How do they pray? How do they spend the Sundays? If they have 
a farm, they visit it often; if they are engaged in a law-suit, they 


62 THE WORK OF SALVATION 

think of it day and night. It is only the poor soul of which they take 
no care. 

“They are a nation without counsel and without wisdom. Oh, that 
they would be wise, and would understand, and would provide for 
their last end.” (Deut. xxxii, 28, 29) 

They look with indifference on that' which caused Jesus Christ to 
become man, to suffer and to die. 

“Who for us men, and for our salvation,” etc. (Creed.) 

“I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” 
(John x, 10) 

“God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge 
of the truth.” (1 Tim. ii, 4) 

“God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of 
salvation.” (1 Thess. v, 9) 

“Let the wealth of the world be destroyed rather than that it should 
cause the loss of a soul.” (S. Eucher.) 

“If you have a heart, understand that the necessity of saving your 
soul is greater than any other.” (S. Ambr.) 

3. The saving of our soul is our one work. We have only one soul; 
so we have only one essential thing to do, that is, to save it. 

If you had two souls, you could perhaps risk losing one to satisfy 
your passions. But as you have only one, you should use every effort 
to save it. This is what David did: 

“My soul is continually in my hands.” (Ps. cxviii, 109) 

“As we do not easily forget that which we hold in our hands, so we 
should never forget the question of our souls; and that care of our 
souls should always fill our hearts.” (S. Bern.) 

“Have pity on thy soul, pleasing God.” (Eccli. xxx, 24) 

“He estimates things at their true value who considers that he himself 
(that is, his soul) is to be preferred to anything he has. How many 
there are who prefer a little vile wealth to their eternal salva¬ 
tion!” (S. Bern.) 

“Guard well your soul; Christ died for it. If you lose it, you cannot 
have another Christ who will die for it, or another death of the same 
Christ.” (Hugh of S. Victor.) 

“The loss of the soul carries with it the loss of all other things; for 
the man who, in losing his soul, loses his whole being, cannot possess 
anything afterwards.” (Salvian) 

II. HOW WE SHOULD WORK TO SAVE OUR SOULS 

i. As the salvation of the soul is a personal matter for each one, we 
must work at it as soon as possible, without delay; 2. it being our im- 


HOW WE SHOULD WORK FOR IT 


63 

portant business, we must work at it with care and diligence; 3. it 
being our sole business, we must work at it continually and without 
interruption. 

1. We can not commence this great work of our salvation too soon. 
Fathers and mothers, say to your children frequently: ‘‘Remember thy 
Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, 
and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me 
not.” (Eccles. xii, 1) 

St. Paul says to all: “This therefore, I say, brethren: The time 
is short; it remaineth that they also who have wives be as if they 
had none; . . . and they that use this world as if they used it not.” 
(1 Cor. vii, 29, 31) 

(Therefore) “walk whilst you have the light that the darkness over¬ 
take you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither 
he goeth.” (John xii, 35) 

“The night cometh when no man can work.” (John ix, 4) 

“Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly; for neither work, 
nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge, shall be in hell, whither thou 
art hastening.” (Eccles. ix, 10) 

“O miserable man, why do you presume on the future?” (S. Bern.) 

“It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father 
hath put in His own power.” (Acts i, 7) 

“At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” (Luke 
xii, 40) 

“Now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” (Rom. xiii, 

n) 

“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salva¬ 
tion.” (2 Cor. vi, 2) 

2. We must work at it with care and diligence. “Keep your souls 
carefully.” (Deut. iv, 15). Why? Because the world is full of rocks 
and dangerous occasions; at each step we take, we are in danger of 
being lost for all eternity. 

“We live in the midst of dangers to our eternal happiness.” (Tert.) 

“The mighty have sought after my soul.” (Ps. liii, 5) 

“Be sober and watch; because your adversary, the devil, as a roar¬ 
ing lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist ye, 
strong in faith.” (1 Pet. v, 8, 9) 

“Enter ye in at the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the 
way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. 
How narrow is the gate and straight is the way that leadeth to life; 
and few there are that find it!” (Matth. vii, 13, 14) 


64 


THE WORK OF SALVATION 


“There is a way which seemeth just to a man; but the ends thereof 
lead to death.” (Prov. xiv, 12) 

“Their way shall be as a slippery way in the dark; for they shall 
be driven on, and fall therein.” (Jer. xxiii, 12) 

“They fall into temptation . . . and into many unprofitable and 
hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition.” 
(1 Tim. vi, 9) 

“Wherefore, my beloved, with fear and trembling work out your 
salvation.” (Phil, ii, 12) 

“The nobler the cause in which we are engaged, the greater should be 
the attention we pay to it.” (S. Ambr.) 

“It is the height of folly to bestow less care in securing the salvation 
of our souls than the devil bestows in securing their eternal ruin.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“The soul may be wounded and brought to ruin at any moment, and 
may perish in many ways, and yet we bestow very little care upon it.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“Oh! mad folly of a sick man! Your soul languishes in sin unto 
eternal death, and you do not seek a remedy.” (S. Bonav.) 

Let us at least be as zealous for the salvation of our soul as we are 
for the health of our body. What care do you not bestow on a body 
which must very soon become the prey of corruption? And you do 
little or nothing for a soul that must live for ever. 

3. We must work at our salvation continually and without interrup¬ 
tion, lest, if we relax our efforts, another may gain the crown which 
was prepared for us. 

“Behold I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man 
take thy crown.” (Apoc. iii, 11) 

“He that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned unless he strive 
lawfully.” (2 Tim. ii, 5) 

“He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. 
x, 22) 

“Woe to them that lose patience, and that have forsaken the right 
ways, and have gone aside unto crooked ways.” (Eccli. ii, 16) 

“In doing good let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not 
failing.” (Gal. vi, 9) 

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” 
(Apoc. ii, 10) 

“Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long, because thou 
shalt have hope in the latter end.” (Prov. xxiii, 17, 18) 

“Salvation shall be to them that fear Thy name.” (Mich, vi, 9) 


HOW WE SHOULD LABOR AT IT 65 

How eagerly men strive to gain perishable goods! What privations 
they impose on themselves with this object! 

“Every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from 
all things; and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; 
but we an incorruptible one.” (1 Cor. ix, 25) 

“I am the most foolish of men. ... I have not learned wisdom, and 
have not known the science of saints.” (Prov. xxx, 2, 3) 

“Through a most perverse foresight men bestow the greatest care 
upon a time that will end very soon, and very little care upon the 
eternity that will never end. Our greatest care, our most earnest 
solicitude should be bestowed upon the question of our eternal salva¬ 
tion, which is for us the greatest of all questions.” (S. Eucher.) 

“In the affair of salvation men sin by this, that they prefer un¬ 
certain things to those that are certain.” (S. Aug.) 

“The bewitching of vanity obscureth good things, and the wander¬ 
ing of concupiscence overturneth the innocent mind.” (Wis. iv, 12) 

“They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found 
nothing in their hands.” (Ps. lxxv, 6) 

From this earth you can either mount up to Heaven, or descend into 
hell. Consider what you should do. You are at the beginning of 
two roads, one of which, covered with flowers, leads you to eternal 
torments, the other, full of thorns, conducts you to everlasting joys and 
glory. Which do you choose? 

“To-day, if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” 
(Ps. xciv, 8) 

“Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?” (Luke x, 25) 

“Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is all man.” (Ec- 
cle. xii, 13) 

“Therefore, without this the whole man is nothing.” (S. Bern.) 

“Labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling 
and election.” (2 Pet. i, 10) 

“Oh, that they would be wise, and would understand, and would 
provide for their last end.” (Deut. xxxii, 29) 

“He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.” 
(1 Cor. x, 12) 

“No security can be too great where eternity is in danger.” 

(S. Greg.) 


Divisions 

Means of salvation. There are two classes of people who neglect 
their salvation: the timid, who imagine that the work of salvation is 



66 


THE WORK OF SALVATION 


more difficult than it really is, and lose courage at the thought of the 
difficulties to be overcome; and the presumptuous, who, on the contrary, 
look on this work as a very simple and easy matter, and do not make 
the efforts necessary to insure success. They both deceive themselves. 
We say, (i) to the timid, that salvation is not as difficult as they im¬ 
agine, and that they must labor with confidence at this great work; 
(2) to the presumptuous, that the difficulties are greater than they sup¬ 
pose, and that they must work with fear and trembling. 

I. One of the most dangerous illusions of which the demon avails 
himself to turn men aside from the way of salvation, is to represent 
to them that way as impracticable. It is too painful to save our 
souls, they say. It must be pointed out to them, on the contrary, that 
in carrying out this work they will find great help, both on the part 
of God, who gives all the graces necessary for salvation, and on their 
own part, since they have only to co-operate with these graces. 

i°. God wishes all men to he saved. Is He not our Father? Why 
did He send His only begotten Son on earth? Why did this adorable 
Saviour offer Himself as a sacrifice on the Cross? Why did He in¬ 
stitute the sacraments, by which we can receive all the graces we re¬ 
quire? Why did He send His Apostles to preach the Gospel? God 
then, on His part, has done all that was necessary to save man. 

2 0 . What must we on our part do to save our soulsf All that is 
required is to have an efficacious desire. To desire efficaciously to 
save our souls is, in a word, to avoid everything that could turn us 
aside from the love of God, and to use every means that will help us 
to advance in that love. Sin is the only obstacle to salvation, and the 
observance of the commandments, the only road to eternal happiness. 
But does not all that depend on our own will, aided by divine grace? 

II. Every man ought to fear lest he should not succeed in an affair 
which i° is in itself difficult, 2° in which there are many dangers, and 
3 0 the success of which is uncertain. 

1°. Salvation is difficult. How many obstacles are there to surmount, 
how many passions to conquer! We must do violence to ourselves: 
“the violent bear it away.” 

2 0 . In working out our salvation we are exposed to many dangers: 
dangers from the world, dangers from the demon, dangers from our¬ 
selves. What unceasing vigilance is necessary to avoid being surprised! 
What precautions we must take if we would avoid being caught in the 
snares by which we are surrounded. 

3 0 . Our salvation is uncertain, whether we consider our past or look 
forward to the future. We know that we committed sins in the past, 


HOW WE SHOULD WORK FOR IT 


67 

but have we done penance sufficient to blot out these sins? No one 
knows whether he is worthy of love or hatred. With regard to the 
future, we know that if we would save our souls, we must persevere 
in the service of God to the end, and die in a state of grace. But who 
can assure himself of this perseverance, which necessarily includes two 
things, a will constant in good, and a special grace which crowns our 
virtues at death? Who is the man that can depend on his will? We 
must then work out our salvation in fear and trembling. (Billot) 


We should make everything help us in the work of securing our 
eternal salvation: 

1. Our plans and projects; we should often put to ourselves that 
question of a great saint: “What bearing has this on eternity ?” 

2. The choice of a state of life. 

3. The right use of our goods, our actions, our words, our thoughts, 
etc. 


1. It is an illusion to think that we can save our souls without toil 
and suffering: “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence.” The ex¬ 
ample of Jesus Christ and the saints, the enemies we have to encoun¬ 
ter, the figures employed by our Lord to impress this truth on us, do 
not allow us to have the least doubt regarding it. We must, therefore, 
watch over ourselves with unceasing vigilance in this great work. 

2. But the sacrifices which we must make are not greater, and are 
often even less than those made by the followers of this world in order 
to attain their object. Think of the sacrifices made by the ambitious, 
the avaricious, the voluptuous. 

3. Moreover, the sufferings we have to endure in working out our 
salvation are made sweet and easy by divine grace, by the help which 
God gives us, and by the hope of an eternal reward. 




XII 


DELAY OF CONVERSION 

“There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doeth penance, more 
than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance.” (Luke xv, 7) 

The merciful God awaits you, invites you to return. He will re¬ 
joice at your return. But do not think that He will always wait for 
you. If He says to you: Return and you will receive life; He also 
warns you not to delay, because in postponing your conversion you 
expose yourself to the danger of dying in sin. In reality, I. Conversion 
deferred becomes uncertain; II. Conversion deferred becomes difficult. 

I. CONVERSION DEFERRED BECOMES UNCERTAIN 

Which should we wonder at more—the goodness of God in searching 
for and receiving back the sinner, or the carelessness of the sinner 
in returning to God? 

Sinners, in deferring your conversion you expose yourselves to the 
danger of never being converted; because you count on a time to come 
which may not be given to you. There is nothing more uncertain than 
this future time, (1) whether considered in itself and in its nature, 
or (2) in its relation to God who has not promised it. 

1. The devil often keeps sinners under a sad delusion, by causing 
them to cherish the flattering hope of a future time when they will 
apply themselves seriously to the work of their conversion. This is 
the error into which young people are apt to fall. They depend on 
their youth and health. Those who are older allege as an excuse 
that they are so much occupied with their business as to have no time, 
but later on. Even those of advanced years who are standing on the 
brink of the grave, are deceived by this vain hope. And yet to what 
danger do not all these expose themselves? What is the time of life? 

“A leaf that is carried away with the wind” (Job. xiii, 25) ; that 
“cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed and fleeth as a shadow.” 
{Ibid, xiv, 2) 

“Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 
miseries.” {Ibid, xiv, 1). “The days of man are short, and the num¬ 
ber of his months is with Thee.” ( Ibid. 5) 

68 


CONVERSION DEFERRED BECOMES UNCERTAIN 69 

“For what is your life? It is a vapor which appeareth for a little 
while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: 
If the Lord will; and, If we live, we will do this or that. Whereas 
you know not what shall be on the morrow.” (Jas. iv, 14, 15) 

“We had in ourselves the answer of death.” (2 Cor. i, 9) 

You may be surprised by death, and die without the sacraments. 
Do we not see very many to whom death does not give time for even 
an examination of conscience? Alas! How many there are who die in 
the flower of youth! Is it necessary to prove a truth which is so 
clearly shown by experience? Who can assure you that you will not 
be surprised by death, as so many others have been? 

“They shall suddenly die, and the people shall be troubled at mid¬ 
night, and they shall pass.” (Job xxxiv, 20) 

“Perhaps,” you will say, “I shall not die so soon.” But perhaps you 
will die soon: you are not more certain of the one than of the other. 

“It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father 
hath put in His own power.” (Acts i, 7) 

Is it not better, then, in this uncertainty, to choose the safer part, that 
is, to abandon sin and return to God without delay? 

“Man knoweth not his own end; but as fishes are taken with the 
hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the 
evil time.” (Eccle. ix, 12) 

“He [man] knoweth not what time shall pass, and that death ap- 
proacheth, and that he must leave all to others, and shall die.” (Eccle. 
xi, 20) 

“Perhaps He will give time, you say. Why do you say, perhaps? 
It happens sometimes, no doubt, but remember that there is question 
of your soul.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. God has not promised to give time to the presumptuous sinner. 
He has certainly promised to pardon the sinner who is sincerely con¬ 
verted; but has He promised another day to him who defers his con¬ 
version ? 

“God has promised to pardon you if you do penance; but He has 
not promised you another day if you defer your conversion.” (S. 
Aug.) 

On the contrary: “At what hour you think not, the Son of Man 
will come.” (Luke xii, 40). “But of that day and hour no one 
knoweth. . . . And as in the days of Noe, so shall the coming of the 
Son of Man be.” (Matth. xxiv, 36, 37) 

How many lost souls are now in hell who, like you, counted on a 
future when they would change their lives, but who were surprised by 
death in the midst of their sins! You can now do what they shall never 
be able to do. What a happiness this should be for you! But what 


70 


DELAY OF CONVERSION 


a dreadful evil for you if you do not learn wisdom from their ex¬ 
ample! Will you be able to excuse yourself on the plea that you have 
not had time? You have time now. Take advantage of it. 

“Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found; call upon Him while 
He is near.” (Is. lv, 6) 

“God hath given him place for penance, and he abuseth it unto 
pride.” (Job xxiv, 23) 

“He swore by Him that liveth for ever and ever . . . that time shall 
be no longer.” (Apoc. x, 6) 

“The longer God waits for your repentance, the severer will be your 
judgment if you neglect to repent.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who neglects to make use of the time given to him for repentance, 
will pray in vain for mercy when he stands before the judgment seat 
of God.” (S. Greg.) 

“He [Esau] found no place of repentance, although with tears he had 
sought it.” (Heb. xii, 17) 

Turn sincerely to God to-day and do not wait until tomorrow. Do 
not continue any longer to say: “Tomorrow, tomorrow.” There is 
no tomorrow for a Christian.” (Tert.) Say rather: “I have said, 
now I have begun.” The longer you put off your conversion, the more 
difficult it will become. 


II. CONVERSION DEFERRED BECOMES DIFFICULT 

Two things are necessary for the conversion of a sinner: the grace 
of God and the will of man. Man cannot do anything without the 
assistance of grace, and grace does nothing without the co-operation 
of man; it is, therefore, necessary that grace and the will should act 
together. But (1) the sinner who puts off his conversion exposes 
himself to the danger of being deprived of grace; and (2) even if grace 
be given to him he has every reason to fear that his will may not 
co-operate with it: two reasons which prove that the delay of conversion 
renders it very difficult. 

1. God, who wishes all men to be saved, gives to all the graces neces¬ 
sary to secure their salvation. The sinner should never despair of 
saving his soul. But we must not believe that God gives as much 
grace to those who resist it, as to those who are faithful to it. Just 
as He rewards fidelity to grace by bestowing more abundant graces, so 
He punishes the contempt of grace by withdrawing those heavenly 
gifts; not indeed that he refuses them altogether, but He does not 
bestow the graces of choice and predilection. 

“Woe to thee that despisest, shalt not thyself also be despised?” 
(Is. xxxiii, 7) 


CONVERSION DEFERRED BECOMES DIFFICULT 71 


“I go and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sins.” (John 
viii, 21) 

There, then, are favorable moments, special graces, to which our pre¬ 
destination is, as it were, attached, and which we shall never find again, 
if once we allow them to pass by. And certainly it is but just that 
God should act in this way towards sinners who despise His graces. 

“Thou art just, O Lord; and Thy judgment is right.” (Ps. cxviii, 

137 ) 

“Despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long- 
suffering? . . . Thou treasurest up to thyself wrath.”(Rom. ii, 4, 5) 

You do not wish to return to God now when He gives you the grace 
to do so; you close your eyes to the light that enlightens you; but a time 
will come when that clear light will no longer enlighten you, when that 
grace will no longer touch you, when even the menaces of God will 
no longer terrify you. The Lord will then abandon you as you now 
abandon Him. 

“I called, and you refused; you have despised all My counsel, and 
have neglected My apprehensions. I also will laugh in your destruc¬ 
tion, and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared.” 
(Prov. i, 24-26) 

“Then they shall call upon Me and I will not hear.” {Ibid. 28) 

But, you will say, were there not great sinners who became great 
saints? Yes, but these sinners made good use of the first decisive 
grace that God gave them, to return sincerely to Him: “Lord, what 
wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts ix, 6) ; or, if they rejected it, God 
afterwards poured into their hearts those extraordinary graces which 
He bestows according to His own divine pleasure, graces which you 
cannot hope for without unpardonable rashness and presumption. Do 
you really believe that God will draw you out of your bondage against 
your will, that He will snatch you by force from the mire of sin in 
which you are sunk? He does not wish to force your free will; on 
His part He offers you all the help you require to raise yourselves up 
again from your fallen state. Perhaps at this very moment while I 
am speaking to you, He urges you, touches your heart by some special 
grace, which He gives you, notwithstanding your abuse of so. many 
other* graces. It is your business, your interest, to co-operate in His 
designs, to co-operate with this special grace. Who will dare to say 
that this will not be the last of His favors? 

“Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good 
gift overpass thee.” (Eccli. xiv, 14) 

“All the evils of procrastination and delay are caused by presump- 

“The delay of conversion is a deadly snare.” (S. Basil) 


72 


DELAY OF CONVERSION 


“His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth, and they shall 
sleep with him in the dust.” (Job xx, n) 

“The sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Is. lxv, 
20) 

2. But even supposing that God gives you those graces of conversion 
on which you rely, for the mercy of God is greater than the malice of 
the sinner, I maintain that yowr conversion will still be very difficult on 
your own part, because your will, by habitually resisting the grace of 
God, will become insensible to its movements, and will no longer be 
touched by anything. Such, perhaps, is the state of insensibility 
in which you now find yourselves: instructions, the thought of hell, the 
sudden death of a lover of this world, all that does not rouse you. 

“The wicked man, when he cometh into the depth of sins, con- 
temneth.” (Prov. xviii, 3) 

Perhaps you count on returning to God at the hour of death! I 
grant you that this is possible; while life lasts, no one should despair 
of his salvation. 

“The road to the mercy of God is always open.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Conversion will never be too late, (provided it be real), the penitent 
thief passed from the cross to paradise.” (S. Jerome.) 

But again I maintain that you will not be converted at the last 
moment, on account of the great difficulty you will have in effecting 
your conversion; because, hardened by the fatal habit of resisting 
grace, you will not then respond to its last invitation. Sin will quit 
you, but you will not quit sin. I speak from daily experience. We 
have seen numbers of sinners brought by sickness to the very door of 
death; but when they were restored to health, could it be said that many 
of them were really converted? And yet what signs of sorrow did 
they not give? They received the Sacraments. ... If they had died 
after all these signs of repentance, would it not be said that Heaven 
was opened to them? Nevertheless, in order to judge of the sincerity 
of their sorrow, see them after they have recovered from the danger 
of death. Are they not just as they were before, just as debauched, 
as deceitful, as immodest, as vindictive? Do they bring forth those 
worthy fruits of penance which they promised? Do they restore the 
ill-gotten goods? Are they more assiduous in prayer, more earnest 
in religious exercises? Some sinners who, perhaps, may be listening 
to me, gave such signs of sorrow when they believed they were about 
to die; but have they become better ? 

“If he who repents at the last moment and is reconciled dies a good 
death, still I am not safe.” (S. Aug.) 

“We should fear a death-bed repentance.” (Ibid.) 


CONVERSION DEFERRED BECOMES UNCERTAIN 73 


“You shall die in your sins. ,, (John viii, 24) 

“Whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Cor. xi, 15) 

“If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots, you 
also may do well when you have learned evil.” (Jer. xiii, 23) 

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall 
sow, those also shall he reap.” (Gal. vi, 7, 8) 

“A hard heart shall fare evil at the last.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast bound with the 
ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22). For years your conscience has 
been warning you that you are not in a state to appear before God. Do 
not, then, delay longer in procuring for yourself that peace of soul 
which a sincere conversion brings with it. 

“Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day 
to day. . . . Say not: I have sinned and what evil hath befallen me?” 


(Eccli. v, 8, 4) . 

“Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with 
his neighbor. ... He that stole, let him now steal no more.” (Ephes. 
iv, 25, 28) 

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” {Ibid, v, 16) 
“The longer the wicked try the patience of God, the more severely 
will God punish them.” (S. Greg.) 

“Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, shall 
seek to enter and shall not be able.” (Luke xiii, 24) 

“Live a good life that you may die a holy death.” (S. Aug.) 
“Understand these things, you that forget God; lest He snatch 
you away, and there be none to deliver you.” (Ps. xlix, 22) 

“Amen, I say to you, unless you be converted, you shall not enter 
into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matth. xviii, 3) 

“If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange 
gods from among you, . . . and serve Him only.” (1 Kings, vii, 5) 
“Turn to the Lord and forsake thy sins.” (Eccli. xvii, 21) 

“Walk whilst you have light, that the darkness overtake you not.” 
(John xii, 35) 

“Whilst we have time, let us work good to all men.” (Gal. vi, 10) 
“We exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. . . . 
Behold now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation.” 
(2 Cor. vi, 1, 2) 


Divisions 

The sinner defers his conversion, 

1. Either because he believes that grace will not be given to him; a 
common excuse, but 



74 


DELAY OF CONVERSION 


(a) Unjust if we consider the sinner who pleads it; 

(b) Rash and ungrateful, if we consider God on whom the blame is 
laid; 

(c) Foolish and indefensible, if we examine it in itself. 

2. Or because he imagines that one day, undeceived regarding the 
world and his passions, he will be in a better state to begin to lead a 
Christian life, and remain steadfast in it. But 

(a) Who has told you that you will live until the time comes which 
you have marked out for yourself ? 

(b) Why do you promise yourself that age will change your heart? 

(c) Finally, some say that conversion is a striking act that brings 
them under public notice, and that they fear they would not be able to 
persevere. (Massillon.) 


Impenitence during life leads to impenitence at death, 

1. Because of hardness of heart; 

2. In punishment of want of correspondence to grace; 

3. Because the false security which deceived the sinner up to that 
time will deceive him also at the last moment. (Bourdaloue) 


1. Repentance is necessary; it should be prompt and sincere. 

2. Dangers of delaying repentance. To effect your conversion you 
require grace, time and a good will; but 

(1) You have no claim to grace; 

(2) Time has not been promised to you; 

(3) Your own will may betray you. (Chevassu) 


Conversion put off to the hour of death 

1. Is very often insufficient. How can a sinner at that moment make 
a good confession, restore all that should be restored, make reparation 
for calumnies, etc.? 

2. Is hardly ever sincere, because then it is not the will that turns 
away from sin, it is sin that abandons the will. 

3. Is very rarely supernatural, being more often caused by a merely 
human fear. 





XIII 


THE HABIT OF SIN 

“Stand fast, and be not held again under the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 
v, i) 

If you who are in sin would save your souls, you must change your 
lives. But a will accustomed to evil does not easily turn to good; one 
abandons with difficulty a bad habit of long standing. It can, how¬ 
ever, be done with the assistance of grace. To help you to do it, 1 
will show you: I. What a bad habit is; II. How to overcome it. 

I. WHAT A BAD HABIT IS 

“A habit is a quality which we acquire by repeated acts.” (S. Thos.) 

There are good and bad habits. 

“A good habit helps the just man to gain everlasting life; a bad habit 
conducts the sinner to eternal death.” (S. Bern.) 

‘‘A young man according to his way, even when he is old he will not 
depart from it.” (Prov. xxii, 6) 

That you may clearly understand the full force of a bad habit, listen 
to the words in which S. Paul gives expression to the lamentation of 
a soul weeping under the weight of its vicious inclinations. 

“I am delighted with the law of God according to the inward man. 
But I see another law in my members fighting against the law of my 
mind. ... For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I 
will not, that I do.” (Rom. vii, 22, 23, ig) 

What is this other law which fights against the law of the mind? 

“The law of sin is the force of habit.” (S. Aug.) 

This law (1) makes us resist all good inspirations of conversion: 
“I see another law fighting against the law of my mind.” (2) It holds 
us captive under the law of sin: “captivating me in the law of sin. 
(.) it causes us to yield under the weight of our passions in such a 
way that we can no longer, so to^say, rise up again. “Who will deliver 
me from the body of this death? 

1. A sinful habit is opposed to all thoughts of conversion. There is 
no sinner, no matter how attached he may be to his bad habits, who 
does not from time to time lift up his eyes to heaven, and desire to 

75 


76 


THE HABIT OF SIN 


break his bonds. But, alas! that bad habit at once begins to exercise 
its power over him. It says to him:— 

“Do you imagine you can live without these things?” (S. Aug.) 

Grace urges him to give up sin; habit holds him back. 

“The nearer I desired to approach, the farther away I moved. I 
writhed in my bond.” (S. Aug.) 

The sinner reproaches himself for committing sin; he sees good ex¬ 
amples; he hears sermons that condemn a life of sin; he even forms 
the resolution to return to God; but the bad habit comes and sweeps 
away all these good desires. 

“What is there that habit does not overthrow?” (S. Bern.) 

“Waters wear away the stones and with inundation the ground by 
little and little is washed away.” (Job xiv, 19) 

“The thoughts that filled my mind were like the efforts of those who 
are striving to rise, and are dragged down again by the weight of their 
slumber.” (S. Aug.) 

“The mound placed over a grave resembles the force of a bad habit, 
by which a soul is so crushed down that it can neither rise up nor even 
breathe.” (S. Aug.) 

“Habit is like a second and artificial nature.” (Id.) 

“The heart has grown hard and has lost all feeling of sorrow.” (Id.) 

“Is it not a perplexing position, to wish to break off a bad habit and 
to be unable to do so? To strive after Heaven in desire, and in deeds 
to remain in sin? To long in one’s heart for the narrow way that 
leads to God, and by acts to remove farther from that way, and to 
suffer contradiction from one’s self?” (S. Greg.) 

“At first it will seem to you something impossible; in course of time 
you will not think it so grave, and after a while you will scarcely feel 
it.” (S. Bern.) 

“A sinful act, frequently repeated, becomes a habit; a habit begets, as 
it were, a necessity of sinning; necessity produces an impossibility of 
avoiding sin; such impossibility brings on despair, and despair causes 
eternal damnation.” (Id.) 

2. A bad habit not only impedes all our efforts to give up sin, it also 
hardens us in evil; it holds us in crime like slaves that are bound in 
chains. 

“What is there that is not hardened by constant repetition ?” 
(S. Bern.) 

Listen to St. Augustine: 

“I was weeping, bound, not in the bonds of another, but in those of 
my own will. My enemy was master of my will, out of which he had 


WHAT A BAD HABIT IS 


77 


made a chain and had bound me. Lust was produced from a perverse 
will, and I gave way to lust until a habit was created; and when 
habit was not resisted, it became a necessity.” ( Confessions) 

Sinners, I appeal to your own experience. Is it not true that noth¬ 
ing weakens the will so much, nothing holds it captive so securely, 
nothing engages it in evil by so many ties, as an inveterate habit? 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast bound with 
the ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22) 

“When a man makes a rope, he keeps twisting it round constantly, 
increasing its strength by winding thread over thread. Such is the 
strength of a bad habit; it becomes greater, the more the habit is in¬ 
dulged in.” (S. Bede.) 

Think of the change which habit has produced in you. In the be¬ 
ginning of that habit of theft or impurity, a word of warning, an ex¬ 
hortation, was enough to keep you from it. But when you grew old 
in evil, it was no longer the same thing. Alas! to what have you 
brought yourselves? 

“The cords of the wicked have encompassed me.” (Ps. cxviii, 61) 
“Who drinketh iniquity like water?” (Job xv, 16) 

“Who leave the right way, and walk by dark ways; who are glad 
when they have done evil, and rejoice in most wicked things.” (Prov. 

ii, x 3> 14) 

“They are confounded (in the beginning) because they have com¬ 
mitted abomination; yea, rather, they are not confounded with confu¬ 
sion, and they have not known how to blush.” (Jer. viii, 12) 

“They were sold to do evil.” (1 Mach, i, 16) 

“Amen, amen, I say unto you: that whosoever committeth sin is the 

servant of sin.” (John viii, 34) . „ 

“For by whom a man is overcome, of the same also he is the slave. 

(2 Pet. ii, 19) , , . , 

“The changing of a habit once contracted is as much to be dreaded 

as death itself.” (S. Aug.) . . 

“The soul is fastened down by bodily pleasures as if by nails; it is 
held captive in the snares of its own acts, and is firmly bound by the 
allurements of worldly joys, awaiting its punishment.” (S. Ambr.) 

“When concupiscence springs up in the heart, reason is lulled to sleep, 
custom blinds the eyes, the Wretched man is dragged down into the 
depths of iniquity, and is handed over, a captive, to the tyranny of evil 
ways.” (S. Bern.) 

“There are some whose souls are so wrapped in and covered by the 
habit of evil, as by a kind of skin, that in order to discontinue that 
habit they must strip themselves of it rather than put it aside. (Id.) 


78 


THE HABIT OF SIN 


3. Finally, a habit of sin leads to despair and ultimate impenitence. 
This is its greatest and worst effect. In reality, 

“The wicked man, when he is come into the depth of sins, con- 
temneth.” (Prov. xviii, 3) 

Speak to him of his soul, of the judgment of God, of the sufferings 
of the damned, of whatever you wish to speak, he despises all. He is 
a Lazarus in his tomb; and he will there become a prey to spiritual 
corruption unless the all-powerful voice of God recalls him to life. 

“[But] wilt Thou [O Lord] show wonders to the dead? or shall 
physicians raise to life and give praise to Thee? Shall any one in 
the sepulchre declare Thy mercy, and Thy truth in destruction?” (Ps. 
lxxxvii, 11, 12) 

“Add Thou iniquity upon their iniquity; and let them not come into 
Thy justice.” (Ps. lxviii, 28) 

“His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth, and they shall 
sleep with him in the dust.” (Job xx, 11) 

“Woe to you that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as the 
rope of a cart.” (Is. v, 18) 

“We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed; let us for¬ 
sake her.” (Jer. li, 9) 

Such a sinner closes his ears to the most salutary advice; he hardens 
his heart against the most prudent warnings; nothing touches him, 
neither the thought of the pains of hell nor of the happiness of Heaven, 
nor even the fear of a sudden and unhappy death. 

“Who despairing, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto 
the working of all uncleanness.” (Eph. iv, 19) 

“There are those who unblushingly indulge in sin even when their 
hair is gray, and lead an evil life even in their old age.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The habit of sinning can be called the worst degree of guilt, for 
then the sinner loses the fear of God, for whom he feels nothing but 
contempt.” (S. Bern.) 

“Who is more dead than he who cherishes in his breast the burning 
sin of concupiscence, and neither feels its effects, nor dreads it, nor 
shakes it off.” (Id.) 

The sinner, however, can free himself from the habit of sin, pro¬ 
vided he makes proper use of the remedies within his reach. 

II. WHAT THE HABITUAL SINNER MUST DO TO FREE HIMSELF 
FROM HIS BAD HABIT 

1. He must sincerely desire to do so. The sister of S. Thomas said 
to him one day: “My brother, you have the reputation of being a 
learned man; tell me what I must do to save my soul.” “My sister,” 


HOW TO GET RID OF BAD HABITS 79 


answered the holy Doctor, “in order to save your soul, you must desire 
to save it.” 

“We cannot go to Heaven in ships, or in chariots, or on foot; for 
not only to start on the journey but also to reach the journey’s end, is 
nothing else than to wish to go thither; to wish it with a strong and firm 
will, not in a careless manner, as if at the same time wishing it and 
not wishing it.” (S. Aug.) 

“I would indeed like to give up sin.” But why do you not say: “I 
will give it up?” “And I said: Now I have begun.” [But] “the 
sluggard willeth and willeth it not.” (Prov. xiii 4). What is the 
meaning of the words, “I would like”? It is an illusion, a conversion 
to God in imagination only; because the sinner does not really wish to 
give up sin. “I would like,” means that you have only a half formed 
desire, a weak and languishing will, which is not enough. A sinner 
will suspend his bad habits for some days in order to receive Holy 
Communion at Easter; but he returns to his evil practices almost im¬ 
mediately afterwards. Does such a man really desire to give up sin 
and to work earnestly and efficaciously in saving his soul? Wish with 
a strong and firm will. 


2. He must place himself under a wise and prudent director , whose 
advice he must carefully follow. When Christ raised up Lazarus from 
the tomb, he ordered two things to be done, which a confessor should 
carry out when dealing with habitual sinners, of whom Lazarus was a 
figure. The first: “Take away the stone”; the second: “Loose 
him.” The stone that is the great obstacle to the conversion of the 
sinner is the dangerous occasion which causes him to fall again, the 
house, the company, etc. The confessor tells him he must take away 
the stone; but that is not enough. The sinner must break the chains 
that hold him bound in his bad habits. “Loose him.” Whenever a sinner 
commits an impure act, let him punish himself by fasting. After each 
relapse let him perform a fresh act of penance. The bad habit must 
be conquered by the good habit to which it is opposed. The sinner has 
been told this a hundred times and yet he does nothing. He is like the 
Israelites- “The children of Israel have continually done evil in my 
eyes from their youth.” (Jer. xxxii, 30). The sinner so to speak 
does violence to himself in order to contract these bad habits; he must 
do still greater violence to himself in order to destroy them. The bad 
habits which he has allowed to grow up have taken deep root; and it 
will cost him some trouble to eradicate them. „ 

“You have labored to nourish them, labor now to overcome them. 

(S. Aug.) 


8 o 


THE HABIT OF SIN 


“Loose the bonds from thy neck, O captive daughter of Sion/’ (Is. 
lii ,2) 

“The more the will labors in overcoming a bad habit, the stronger 
it grows by repeated efforts/’ (S. Aug.) 

“He who would conquer a bad habit must fight a hard battle.” (S. 
Aug.) 

3. In order that his efforts may be crowned with success, he must 
join to them fervent and persevering prayer. 

“My son, hast thou sinned? do so no more; but for thy former sins 
also pray that they may be forgiven thee.” (Eccli. xxi, 1) 

Unite your tears to those Christ shed for sinners. He alone can raise 
up to life a soul that is dead in habitual sin. The Holy Ghost places 
the conversion of a habitual sinner among the things that are most 
difficult to accomplish. 

“If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or a leopard his spots, you 
also may do well, when you have learned evil.” (Jer. xiii, 23) 

As conversion is so difficult, you must ask it from God with the 
greatest fervor and perseverance. 

“A long sickness is troublesome to the physician; the physician cut- 
teth off a short sickness.” (Eccli. x, 11, 12) 

“As it was your mind to go astray from God; so when you return 
again, you shall seek Him ten times as much.” (Baruch iv, 28) 

“It is not a light task to turn aside from a bad habit, and recall oneself 
to the way of God’s law.” (S. Basil) 

It is then time to cease doing evil and to learn to do good. Fathers 
and mothers, watch over your children and check their vicious inclina¬ 
tions. If you neglect to check the disposition that draws them to evil, 
you will very soon see spring up bad habits, which you will not be 
able to correct. And you, who unfortunately find yourselves already 
in this sad state, think seriously of its unhappy consequences, and use 
with courage and perseverance the means proposed to you by which 
you can free yourselves from it. If you suffer any pain in doing this, 
remember that you must save your souls at all costs, and that you 
must do violence to yourselves in order to gain Heaven. 

“Cease to do perversely, learn to do well.” (Is. i, 16, 17) 

Say to God with an earnest desire to be heard:— 

“Deliver me from my necessities.” (Ps. xxiv, 17) 

Lord, heal my wounds, they are old and deep. 

“My sores are putrefied and corrupted, because of my foolishness.” 
(Ps. xxxvii, 6) 

“Draw me out of the mire, . . . and out of the deep waters.” (Ps. 
lxviii, 15) 


HOW TO GET RID OF BAD HABITS 81 

“That the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may 
serve sin no longer.” (Rom. vi, 6) 

“Being then free from sin, we have been made servants of justice.” 

(Ibid. S\ 


Divisions 

I 

1. Pernicious effects of a bad habit: 

i°. It renders the sinner more criminal. 

2°. It renders his conversion more difficult. 

3°. It renders his death in sin more probable. 

2. The most efficacious means of changing one ; s life: 
i°. A good will. 

2°. Prayer and the sacraments. 

3°. To oppose to evil inclinations the practice of the contrary vir¬ 
tues. (Billot) 


II 

1. Sinners who contract a habit of sin become insensible to their 
misery, because they ignore it and do not foresee its consequences. 

2. That habit reduces them to a kind of powerlessness, in conse¬ 
quence of which they are unable to change their lives and return sin¬ 
cerely to God. 

3. It renders them hard and obstinate, so that nothing can touch or 
soften them. 


Ill 

1. Habit gives a facility of sinning; this is what makes a habitual 
sinner an object of horror and abomination in the sight of God. 

2. The more a sinner yields to a bad habit, the more difficult he finds 
the work of freeing himself from it; until at last, through a kind of 
moral necessity, he perseveres in sin and dies a miserable death. 


IV 

There are three illusions by which a habitual sinner usually deceives 
himself: 

1. He imagines that the sin is less than it really is, and that habit 
diminishes its gravity. 



82 


THE HABIT OF SIN 


2. He thinks that to obtain pardon, it is sufficient to make a simple 
acknowledgment of this deadly habit, without making any real effort 
to break it off or overcome it. 

3. He persuades himself that he will have no difficulty in freeing 
himself from it whenever he wishes to do so. In this he is deceived. 


V 

1. The habit of sin is opposed to the mercy of God, who withdraws 
His graces and finally abandons the sinner. 

2. It rejects the powerful and efficacious remedies, which are: fear 
of God’s judgments, remorse of conscience, warnings, advice, etc. 

3. It opposes all the efforts which the enfeebled will makes through 
custom, to come out of that state, and usually renders these efforts 
unavailing. 


XIV 


THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 

“Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.” (Eccli. vii, 40) 

“It is appointed unto men once to die.” (Heb. ix, 27) 

During life we should constantly think of death. . . . Salutary 
thought! . . . “I have said: In the midst of my days I shall go 
down to the gates of hell.” (Is. xxxviii, 10). Young or old, I will 
think that I must one day die, and I will have death always before my 
eyes. 

To encourage you in a practice so holy, I will show you:—I. What 
the moment of death means; II. The advantage of thinking of it. 

I. WHAT THE MOMENT OF DEATH MEANS 

i. Dreadful moment, when everything in the world dies to man, when 
man dies to all on earth. 

“When he shall die, he shall take nothing away; nor shall his glory 
descend with him.” (Ps. xlviii, 18) 

“There is one that is enriched by living sparingly . . . and he know- 
eth not what time shall pass and that death approacheth, and he must 
leave all to others, and shall die.” (Eccli. xi, 18, 20) 

At death, the greatest shall be equal to the most miserable. 

“The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his 
master.” (Job iii, 19) 

It is a moment infinitely more terrible in its consequences than in 
itself: these consequences are irreparable, eternal. 

“Man shall go into the house of his eternity.” (Eccli. xii, 5) 

“Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.” (Gen. iii, 19) 

“My days shall be shortened, and only the grave remaineth for me.” 
(Job xvii, 1) 

A short but decisive moment, after which the sinner can no longer 
hope for mercy, nor the just for an increase of merit. A moment, the 
mere thought of which has made princes tremble on their thrones; 
the dread of which has peopled the desert with solitaries. 

“Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 
miseries.” (Job xiv, 1) 

“We all die, and like waters that return no more, we fall down into 
the earth.” (2 Kings xiv, 14) 


83 


8 4 


THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 


“When a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and 
worms.” (Eccli. x, 13) 

“I have said to rottenness: Thou art my father; to worms, my 
mother and sister.” (Job xvii, 14) 

“Who is the man that shall live and shall not see death?” (Ps. 
lxxxviii, 49) 

“For all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.” 
(Wis. vii, 6) 

“Whether you go quickly or slowly, human life is short.” (S. Aug.) 

“The moment man begins to live, he may begin also to die; the 
beginning of life makes the possibility of death.” (S. Aug.) 

“The dreadful separation of body and soul is entirely the work of 
death.” (S. Bern.) 

Finally, it is the awful moment when the Church believes it to be 
her duty to sustain her children by all the help she can procure for 
them: “Come to his assistance, all ye saints of God; meet him, all ye 
angels of God, receiving his soul. O Lord, receive Thy creature lov¬ 
ingly. ... I recommend thee to the omnipotent God, and I commit 
thee to Him whose creature thou art.” (Ritual) 

2. Such is the moment of death. Do you think of it often and seri¬ 
ously ? 

“But you like men shall die.” (Ps. lxxxi, 7) 

Do you regulate your life, your acts, your plans, by the thought of 
death? It is not necessary to warn criminals confined in a prison and 
awaiting a judgment in which there will be for them a question of life 
or death, to think of the danger in which they are, and of the best means 
of escaping it. We resemble such criminals, for the whole earth is 
the great prison of man, and we can go out from it only by punish¬ 
ment. We live in expectation, not only of that sentence of death 
which is already pronounced, but of another sentence also, which has 
not yet been passed; a sentence that will make us happy or miserable for 
all eternity. Everything warns us to think of it; and yet there are very 
few who think of it seriously. People even banish the thought. 

“There is no regard to their death.” (Ps. lxxii, 4) 

Does that man, governed by avarice, think of it? 

“Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee; and whose 
shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke xii, 20) 

Does the drunkard think of it? Alas! if so, does he not say like 
those unhappy men of whom the prophet speaks: 

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.” (Is. xxii, 13) 

Does that impure man, who pollutes and profanes his body, think 
of it? Ah! if he stood beside a grave and there contemplated those 


ADVANTAGES OF THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 85 

bodies exhaling corruption and rottenness, would he continue in his sin ? 

“He shall be brought to the graves, and shall watch in the heap of 
the dead.” (Job xxi, 32) 

“Come and see.” (John xi, 34) 

Does the ambitious man understand that at death there shall remain 
to him only a sad “Here lies” ? 

Does the libertine, who seems to defy the Lord, think of that mo¬ 
ment when the Sovereign Master will laugh at him in His turn? 

“I also will laugh at your destruction, and will mock when that shall 
come to you which you feared. Then they shall call upon Me and I 
will not hear.” (Prov. i, 26, 28) 

Innumerable souls are lost because people will not think of death. 
They put the thought of death from their minds, they forget it and 
even force themselves to forget it. They see people die every day; and 
yet they live as if they themselves would never die. This is the cun¬ 
ning of an evil spirit; he no longer says: “You shall not die the death” 
(Gen. iii, 4), but he says: “You will not die so soon.” But death 
comes on them suddenly, and then 

“The sorrows of hell encompassed me; and the snares of death pre¬ 
vented me.” (Ps. xvii. 6) 

“To a man whose heart is hardened in sin, death seems very 
far off, even at the moment when he begins to feel its stroke. (S. 
Greg.) 

“Be not foolish; lest thou die before thy time.” (Eccle. vii, 18) 

“Nothing has deceived mankind so much as that, although they know 
not whether their lives will be long or short, yet they promise them¬ 
selves a long enjoyment of this world and its pleasures.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Our fear of death should be all the greater, because we can never 
foresee when death may come to us.” (S. Greg.) 

“Man knoweth not his own end; but as fishes are taken with the 
hook and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the 
evil time when it shall suddenly come upon them.” (Eccle. ix 12) 


II. ADVANTAGES OF THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 

Man dies only because he has sinned. 

“By sin death.” (Rom. v, 12) 

“The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. vi, 23) 

To avoid sin altogether it is sufficient to think seriously that we must 
die. 

“In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shaL never sin.” 
(Eccli. vii, 40) 

The thought of death produces three good effects:—(1) It detaches 


86 THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 

us from this world; (2) it curbs our passions; (3) it induces us to 
lead a holier life. 


1. It detaches us from this world. 

If the world can charm us for a little while, it is certain that this 
charm will vanish when confronted with the thought of death. The 
idea which we form to ourselves of that last hour, produces almost the 
same impression on our minds as that which real death will one day 
produce on our bodies. So he who occupies himself seriously with the 
thought of death, compares himself to a traveller passing through this 
world; ... he feels no sorrow in leaving it. 

“Oh! how great is the confidence of the dying man in whose heart 
there is no affection for this world.” (Eusebius, De Morte Hieron.) 

The thought of death makes us see the nothingness and vanity of 
earthly things; it makes us understand that everything is passing away, 
and that we also shall one day pass away. 

“All things are passed away like a shadow, and like a post that run¬ 
neth on.” (Wis. v, 9) 

“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of 
feasting; for in that we are put in mind of the end of all, and the liv¬ 
ing thinketh what is to come.” (Eccle. vii, 3) 

“He who remembers that he shall die will easily despise all things.” 
(S. Jerome) 


2. It curbs our passions. 

Yes, for the movements of pride, avarice, revenge, impurity, the 
great remedy is the thought of death. Would to God that men had 
sufficient wisdom and prudence to think of that hour! 

“Oh, that they would be wise and would understand and would pro¬ 
vide for their last end.” (Deut. xxxii, 29) 

“We should not fear that which frees us from every cause of fear.” 
(Tert.) 

“Why do we so earnestly desire this life, since the longer we live, 
the greater grows the load of sin by which we are crushed down?” 
(S. Ambr.) 


3. It induces us to lead a holier life. 

The thought of death makes us correct the faults to which we are 
subject, and acquire the virtues which we do not yet possess; it makes 
us say to ourselves: 

“O Lord, make me know my end; and what is the number of my 
days; that I may know what is wanting to me.” (Ps. xxxviii, 5) 


ADVANTAGES OF THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 87 

Filled with this thought, we will strive earnestly to lead a life reg¬ 
ulated by God's holy law, which is the great means of obtaining the 
grace of a happy death. As the life is, so the death shall be. And 
if perchance we fall, animated by this great thought, we shall rise 
again very soon. 

“Tarry not in the error of the ungodly, give glory before death. 
(Eccli. xvii, 26) 

We shall make a good confession, give alms, make restitution, and 
we shall leave this life accompanied by our good works. 

“Their works shall follow them.” (Apoc. xiv, 13) 

“Bring forth my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name.” 
(Ps. cxli, 8) 

“I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dissolved and to 
be with Christ.” (Phil, i, 23) 

“I am even now ready to be sacrificed; and the time of my dissolu¬ 
tion is at hand.” (2 Tim. iv, 6) 

Will you be able to say with S. Paul: “I have fought a good fight, 

I have kept the faith.” {Ibid. 7) 

“In all your works keep death before your mind.” (S. Jerome) 
“Watch, because you know not the day nor the hour.” (Matth. 

xxv, 13) , , . 

It will be too late to think of death when we are dying; we must begin 
to think of it, now, and we must never let the thought of it leave our 
minds. When you rise up in the morning, ask yourself if you will 
live until the evening; and at night, when you lie down to rest, ask your¬ 
self if you will ever see the light of another morning. Let the clothes 
that cover your bed remind you of the shroud that will one day envelop 

your lifeless body. . . . . „ 

“The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. 

(1 Thess. v, 2) . c - 

“Be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the bon ot 

Man will come.” (Matth. xxiv, 44 ) , , , . 

“The time of our death is hidden from us in order that we may be al¬ 
ways ready to die.” (S. Aug.) 

“Consider each morning that the day on which you are entering may 
be the day of your death; for the terrible summons will come to you 
when you least expect it, and woe to you if it finds you unprepared. 

(S. Anselm.) 4 . Mi 

“Those who always seriously think that they will die, do not die 

a sudden death.” {Id.) 

Finally, consider that every step you take brings you nearer to 
death Your property, your wealth, may increase, but the number, of 
your days is growing less. You are always advancing towards eternity. 


THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 


Live then so that the words of the inspired writer may be verified in 
you: ‘‘Thou shalt enter the grave in abundance.” (Job v, 26) 


Divisions 

I 

I. There is nothing more certain than death; we should therefore 
prepare for it. 

II. There is nothing more uncertain than the hour of death; therefore 
we should be prepared for it every moment of our life. (Billot) 

II 

1. We shall certainly die; our daily experience does not permit us to 
doubt this. 

2. The time, the place, and the manner of our death are uncertain. 

3. That which is uncertain in death is that we know not in what 
state we shall die; and that which is certain is that we shall remain in 
that state for all eternity. Let us, therefore, put ourselves in a state of 
grace, which will secure a happy death. 

III 

1. Serious consideration on death is a sovereign remedy for extin¬ 
guishing the heat of our passions. 

2. It is an infallible rule by which to guide our thoughts and our 
actions. 

3. It is an efficacious means by which to fill our hearts with a holy 
fervor in all our acts. (Bourdaloue) 

IV 

Advantages which the remembrance of death procures for us: 

1. It takes from us all affection for things of earth, and brings us to 
that state in which we should be at the hour of death. 

2. It makes us think of Heaven, for which we were created. 

3. It obliges us to do during life what we shall wish to have done 
when we shall be on our death bed. 

V 

1. What is the meaning of the words, to die? 

When and how shall I die? 

3. Am I now ready to die? 



XV 


DEATH OF THE WICKED 


“For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap/’ (Gal. vi, 8) 


The time of life is a time given us by God to work, to sow; death 
is the harvest time. He who sows good seed will gather good fruit. 
But he who sows bad seed will gather only bad fruit. He must expect 
to reap only fruits of malediction. “The death of the sinner is very 
evil.” (Ps. xxxiii, 22). What is it that makes the death of the sin¬ 
ner so bitter ? 

The past, the present, and the future, all combine to make the death 
of the wicked frightful. 

I. The past, by the most bitter regret. II. The present, by the keen¬ 
est anguish. III. The future, by the overwhelming despair. 


I. THE PAST, BY THE MOST BITTER REGRET 

The dying sinner sees in his past life only subjects of the most bitter 
regret, (1) whether he thinks of the pleasures he has tasted, (2) or con¬ 
siders the sins he has committed, (3) or calls to mind the means of 
salvation he has abused. 


1. The pleasures he has tasted 

The pleasures are past; all the objects that seduced him have disap¬ 
peared. All appear to him now only vanity and deceit. That agreeable 
society, those pleasure parties, those plays, all have vanished: there 
remains to him only a sad remembrance of them. 

“I did but taste a little honey, and behold I must die.” (1 Kings 

xiv > 43 ) • 1 11 

“I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lam¬ 
entation; and I will make the latter end thereof as a bitter day.” 
(Amos viii, 10) 

“Laughter shall be mingled with sorrow, and mourning taketh hold 
of the end of joy.” (Prov. xiv, 13) 


2. The sins he has committed 

But what causes the most bitter regret to the sinner is that in going 
after these pleasures, he made his soul criminal in the sight of God; 

89 


9° 


DEATH OF THE WICKED 


he loaded it with sins that will bring down on it a sentence of eternal 
death. All his criminal thoughts, his impure desires, his dissolute 
words, his bad acts, all these sins rise up before him in their number, 
their circumstances, their enormity. 

“My iniquities have gone over my head; and as a heavy burden 
are become heavy upon me.” (Ps. xxxvii, 5) 

“We are your works; ... we will go with you to the judgment 
seat of God.” (S. Bern.) 

Like Antiochus, he can say: “Sleep is gone from my eyes, and I am 
fallen away, and my heart is cast down for anxiety. And I said in 
my heart: Into how much tribulation am I come, and into what 
floods of sorrow, wherein now I am: I that was pleasant and beloved 
in my power. But now I remember the evils that I have done in 
Jerusalem.” (1 Mach, vi, 10-12) 

“O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee, to a man that 
hath peace in his possessions.” (Eccli. xli, 7) 

Thus, sinners, the more pleasure you will have felt in committing 
sin, the more pain sin will cause you at the hour of death, in the bitter 
reproaches which your conscience will then make to you. 

“If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he must 
remember the darksome time, and the many days: which when they 
shall come, the things passed shall be accused of vanity.” (Eccli. xi, 8) 

“In that day all their thoughts shall perish.” (Ps. cxlv, 4) 

“When they shall say, peace and security, then shall sudden destruc¬ 
tion come upon them.” (1 Thess. v, 3) 

“As yet their meat was in their mouth, and the wrath of God came 
upon them.” (Ps. lxxvii, 30, 31) 

“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to 
hell.” (Ps. xxi, 13) 

3. The means of salvation he has abused. 

The thought of how he abused the many means of salvation offered 
to him during life, increases the misery of the dying sinner. He could 
have saved his soul, but he did not wish to do so. What numberless 
graces he received! How many holy inspirations! How many salu¬ 
tary instructions! What good examples! What powerful help in the 
sacraments! He recalls all this to his mind, and he sees that he has 
resisted all these graces. O fool that I am, he cries out, how great 
has been my blindness! I must now quit this world without having 
done anvthing for Heaven! 

“We fools!” (Wis/v, 4) 

“There is no peace for my bones because of my sins.” (Ps. 
xxxvii, 4) 


CAUSES OF GRIEF 91 

“Woe to the wicked unto evil; for the reward of his hands shall be 
given him.” (Is. iii, 11) 

“For your sins . . . you shall fall among the ruins of your idols.” 
(Levit. xxvi, 28, 30) 

“You have ploughed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity, you 
have eaten the fruit of lying.” (Os. x, 13) 

II. THE PRESENT, BY THE KEENEST ANGUISH 

Sorrow is in his soul, caused by the separation from all that he has 
cherished most. He must bid farewell to all. Fie must attend to af¬ 
fairs to which he has never yet paid attention, and which he is not in 
a state to put in order, he must dispose of those goods which he has 
got together with so much labor, and which he finds it so hard to quit. 

“Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 1) 

“Doth bitter death separate in this manner?” (1 Kings xv, 32) 

“Whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke 
xii, 20) 

“Thou hast seen the rich man living; think of him dying. Think 
of what he has here; think of what he shall take with him.” (S. Aug.) 

He suffers without merit. His pains complete his reprobation, be¬ 
cause he suffers them only with impatience. Death is drawing near; 
see his livid lips, his eyes wandering and often sightless, his face pale 
and distorted. But what of the sacraments of the dying! the last 
sacraments! He does not think of them, and no one has the courage 
to speak of them to him. He dies at last without having had time 
to consider his sad state, without having thought of his eternal salvation. 

“Behold, I die, what will the first birth-right avail me?” (Gen. 
xxv, 32) 

“The riches which he hath swallowed, he shall vomit up, and God 
shall draw them out of his belly.” (Job xx, 15) 

III. THE FUTURE, BY OVERWHELMING DESPAIR 

But admitting that the sinner may have time to think of his salva¬ 
tion and that his friends may speak to him seriously about the neces¬ 
sity’of preparing for death, the thoughts and reflections caused by 
their words will throw him into despair, at the sight of the everlasting 
misery with which he is threatened. The faith of the sinner which 
had been extinguished during life, revives at the hour of death, and 
unveils to him the great truths of religion. Then he believes that 
which he did not wish to believe when he was in health. But how 
will this dying sinner strengthen himself against the fear of a hell 
opened beneath his feet? Can he find strength in the virtues he has 


92 


DEATH OF THE WICKED 


practised? But his whole life has been a life of crime. Will he con¬ 
sole himself with the thought of the mercy of God? Ah! he knows 
that he has abused the divine mercy, and that in punishment for such 
abuse he deserves to be abandoned by God. 

“I called and you refused.” (Prov. i, 24) 

“You shall seek Me, and you shall die in your sin.” (John viii, 21) 

“Whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Cor. xi, 15) 

“This wicked man [Antiochus] prayed to the Lord, of whom he 
was not to obtain mercy.” (2 Mach, ix, 13) 

“When he himself could not now abide his own stench.” {Ibid. 12) 

“At death the terror of the sinner increases as the hour of retribu¬ 
tion draws near; and the more closely he approaches the judgment-seat 
of God, the more he dreads the divine judgment.” (S. Greg.) 

“Do you wish to know why we fear death? It is because we have 
not carefully avoided sin, we have not a pure conscience. If our 
conscience were free from stain, death could not frighten us.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

It is true that if the sinner repented sincerely, he could even now 
recover the grace of God. But how can he repent at this supreme 
moment? He will perhaps give some sign of sorrow; but it is a forced 
sorrow, a sorrow that makes him quit sin only because he can no longer 
commit it. 

What will reassure the sinner then ? . . . The Sacraments ? Alas! he 
receives them only because he is pressed to do so, and without proper 
dispositions. 

He embraces the crucifix, . . . but with what feelings? How can 
he hope in the merits of a Divine Saviour with whose life his own has 
been so little in conformity? Ought he not rather recognize in Him 
an angry judge, who is about to condemn him? This thought throws 
him into the most frightful despair. 

“The fear of death is fallen upon me.” (Ps. liv, 5) 

However, the priest of God is there ... he prays ... he says: 
“Go forth, Christian soul.” . . . Christian soul! 

Yes, his soul goes forth, and it is dragged by the devils into the 
eternal abyss! 

“Woe to you, ungodly men, who have abandoned the law of the most 
high Lord. If you die, in malediction shall be your portion.” (Eccli. 
xli, 11) 

“Thy pride is brought down to hell, thy carcass is fallen down; 
under thee shall the moth be strewed and the worms shall be thy 
covering.” (Is. xiv, n) 

“Come and see.” (John i, 39) 

Does not the lot of the sinner make you tremble? That lot will be 


CAUSES OF GRIEF 


93 


yours, avaricious, voluptuous, unlawful possessors of the property 
of others. That will be your destiny, sinners, whoever you may be, 
if you do not give up sin and return to God. 

“You shall die in your sins. ,, (John viii, 21) 

“He [Zambri] died in his sins, which he had sinned, doing evil be¬ 
fore the Lord.” (3 Kings xvi, 19) 

“The gate is closed. You will cry: Lord, Lord, open to us. . . . 
I know you not.” (Matth. xxv, 12) 

“He died . . . and he was buried in hell.” (Luke xvi, 22) 

“O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? Why do 
you love vanity and seek after lying?” (Ps. iv, 3) 

“When the wicked man is dead, there shall be no hope any more; 
and the expectation of the solicitous shall perish. (Prov. xi, 7) 

“No matter how long sinners may live, they are taken out of life 
suddenly and unexpectedly. Death comes suddenly to the man who 
has not thought of it previously. Of a hundred thousand men who 
have led evil lives there is hardly one that merits the grace of a happy 
death. This I hold to be true, having learned it from long experience.” 

(S. Jerome) . A „ 

“Before thy death work justice; for in hell there is no finding tood. 

(Eccli. xiv, 17) 

“If the tree fall to the south or to the north, in what place soever 
it shall fall, there shall it be.” (Eccle. xi, 3) 

“The death of the wicked is very evil: do you understand why it 
is so? It is evil because at death the sinner loses all he has prized in 
this world; it is worse still in the separation oi the soul and body; but 
it is most evil of all in the twofold grief of worms and fire. 

(S. Bern.) . . £ 

“A great horror will fill the souls of the impious as they go forth 
out of this world; a great sorrow will seize them in their passage from 
time to eternity; and a bitter shame will crush them as they stand in 

the sight of the great God.” (Id.) „ 

“Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour. 

(Matth. xxv, 13) 


Divisions 

I 


The death of sinners. 

1. They die as they have lived. 

This appalling truth is proved from, 



94 


DEATH OF THE WICKED 


i°. Sacred Scripture; 

2°. The Holy Fathers; 

3°. The most solid reasons and daily experience. 

2. They die in despair. 

i°. In the past they see frightful sins for which they cannot now 
do penance. 

2°. In the present they see false goods, to which they were too 
much attached, but which they are now forced to abandon. 

3°. In the future they see infinite evils, of which they had not a 
wholesome fear during life, but which they can no longer avoid. 

II 

The death of the sinner is terrible, 

1. Because of the confusion with which he is filled: he remembers 
that he has done little or nothing for God and for the salvation of 
his soul. 

2. Because of the despair of divine mercy into which he falls. 

3. Because of the surprises of death, and of the sudden strokes that 
often sweep sinners away when they think least of eternity. 

4. Because of the impenitence in which he dies. 


XVI 


DEATH OF THE JUST 

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints.” (Ps. 
cxv, IS) 

Who does not desire to die the death of the saints? Even the 
impious and libertines desire it, and sometimes say: “Let my soul 
die the death of the just, and my last end be like to theirs. ,, (Num. 
xxiii, io) 

It is indeed strange that, fearing nothing so much as a bad death, 
people take so little care to lead a good life. Let us consider: I. The 
advantages of a good death; II. The means of obtaining it. 

I. THE ADVANTAGES OF A GOOD DEATH 

Death, no matter how we look at it, is very advantageous to a good 
Christian. “In every respect death is good for the pious man.” (S. 
Aug.) He finds his consolation chiefly in three things: (i) in the 
ending of his misery; (2) in the company of his good works; (3) in 
the pardon and remission of his sins. 

1. In the ending of man's misery 

What had not the just man to suffer during this life? Mockery, 
contempt, calumny, temptations. All that is past. 

“The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment 
of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed 
to die; but they are in peace.” (Wis. iii, 1-2) 

“Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that tempta¬ 
tion should prove thee.” (Tob. xii, 13) 

“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John xvi, 20) 

“I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make 
them joyful after their sorrow.” (Jer. xxxi, 13) 

“I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely; for My wrath 
is turned away from them.” (Os. xiv, 5) 

“I have afflicted thee, and I will afflict thee no more. I will break 
in pieces his rod with which he struck thy back, and I will burst thy 
bonds asunder.” (Nahum, i, 12, 13) 

At the hour of death the just man looks on his sufferings not only 

95 


96 


DEATH OF THE JUST 

as troubles that are past, but also as the source and foundation of a 
happiness that will never end. God Himself gives him the assurance 
of this. 

'Tor a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies 
will I gather thee. In a moment of indignation have I hid my face 
a little while from thee, but with everlasting kindness have I had 
mercy on thee.” (Is. liv, 7, 8) 

What are those past sufferings? They are nothing in comparison 
with eternity. Past sorrows, where are you? Sighs, pains, insults, 
persecutions, sickness, during life the just man did not, perhaps, know 
all the merit of these; but now that he is ready to give back his soul 
into the hands of God, he recalls them to mind, and he understands, he 
knows that all those past sufferings are about to conduct him to 
eternal happiness What a consolation! 

"This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their justice 
with Me, saith the Lord.” (Is. liv, 17) 

"Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of dead sleep, the 
dregs of the cup of My indignation, thou shall not drink it again any 
more. And I will put it in the hand of them that addressed thee, and 
have said to thy soul: Bow down that we may go over.” (Is. li, 
22, 23) 

"O poor little one, tossed with tempest, without all comfort, . . . 
thou shalt be founded in justice; depart far from oppression, for thou 
shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.” 
(Is. liv, 11, 14) 

"We should not dread that which frees us from every cause of fear.” 
(Tert.) 


2. In the company of his good works 

At death all other things will abandon us; our works alone, good 
or bad, will never quit us. His good works will go before, will ac¬ 
company, and will follow the just man in the great journey to eternity. 

They will go before him to beg that the infinite mercy of God may 
open Heaven to him. 

"Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the har¬ 
borless into thy house . . . and thy justice shall go before thy face, 
and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. Then shalt thou call 
and the Lord shall hear. Thou shalt cry out, and He shall say: Here 
I am. . . . When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt 
satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and 
thy darkness shall be as the noon-day. And the Lord will give thee 
rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness. . . . Then shalt 
thou be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift thee up above the high 


THE ADVANTAGES OF A GOOD DEATH 


97 


places of the earth, and will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob 
thy father.” (Is. lviii, 7-14) 

They will accompany him. Example: Ezechias. “He wrought that 
which was good and right and true before the Lord his God . . . ac¬ 
cording to the law and the ceremonies, desiring to seek his God with 
all his heart, and he did it and prospered.” (2 Par. xxxi, 20, 21) . 

His good works will never leave him; he presents them to God in 
order to obtain the divine mercy. 

“I beseech Thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before Thee 
in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is pleasing 
before Thee.” (4 Kings xx, 3) 

The good works of the just man will constitute all the glory and 
beauty of his entrance into Heaven. 

“She hath opened her hand to the needy. . . . Strength and beauty 
are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. . . . Her children 
[works] rose up and called her blessed: her husband, and he praised 
her. . . . Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise 
her in the gates.” (Prov. xxxi, 20 ff.) 

Finally, they will follow him into eternity. 

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” (Apoc. xiv, 13). Why ? 

“From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from 
their labors: for their works follow them.” (Ibid.) 

“[God] rendered to the just the wages of their labors.” (Wis. x, 17) 

“God will render to every man according to his works. . . . But 
glory and honor and peace to every one that worketh good.” (Rom. 
ii, 6, 10) 


3. In the pardon and remission of his sins 

The thought of his past sins does not trouble the just man. He is 
grieved at having committed them, it is true; but he if consoled by 
the sincere sorrow that fills his heart for having offended God, and by 
his determination to do all he can to satisfy the divine justice and to 
suffer all the pains of his illness in atonement for his faults. 

“TThe penitent] by his sorrow recovers spiritual life;, and when his 
heart is touched with grief he weeps, and by his tears is raised up to 

heavenly Toys/’ (S. Greg.) . ,. 

He has arranged all his affairs; he has made a good confession; his 

conscience is at rest, and he looks on his sins as washed away by the 

bl °‘Thou J hast S been a leader to the people which Thou hast redeemed ; 
and in Thy strength Thou hast carried them to Thy holy habitation. 

(Exod. xv, 13) . , 

Such is the confidence of the just man at death. 


98 DEATH OF THE JUST 

“Many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much.” (Luke 
vii, 47) 

“Charity covereth a multitude of sins.” (i Pet. iv, 8) 

O happy death of the just man! Go see the just man, says the 
prophet; tell him the good news, say to him that all is well for him. 

“Say to the just man that it is well, for he shall eat the fruit of his 
doings.” (Is. iii, io) 

“With him that feareth the Lord, it shall go well in the latter end, 
and in the day of his death he shall be blessed.” (Eccli. i, 13) 

“Precious is the death of the saints; clearly precious as the end of 
their labors, as the crowning of victory, as the gate of eternal life, and 
the entrance to perfect security.” (S. Bern.) 

II. MEANS OF OBTAINING THE GRACE OF A HOLY DEATH 

To prepare for it (1) by a holy life, (2) by a sincere repentance, (3) 
by a perfect conformity of our death with that of Jesus Christ. 

1 . By a holy life 

Generally speaking, a man dies as he has lived; as his life is, so his 
death will be. 

“Who is there that does not die as he has lived?” (S. Bern.) 

“We had in ourselves the answer of death.” (2 Cor. i, 9) 

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked. For what things a man shall 
sow, those also shall he reap.” (Gal. vi, 7, 8) 

“He who has lived a holy life, cannot die a bad death, and he can 
hardly die a good death who has lived a bad life.” (S. Aug.) 

It is true that, though having begun well, a man may end badly, and 
that, though he may have led an evil life, yet his death may be a happy 
one; because God is the Master of His graces, which He grants to whom 
He pleases; and this should cause us to keep ourselves in profound 
humility. But this does not take from the truth of what I have said, 
that, generally speaking, God gives a happy death as the reward of a 
good life, and punishes an evil life by a miserable death. 

“He [God] shall destroy the wicked and sinners together; and they 
that have forsaken the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be 
confounded for the idols to which they have sacrificed.” (Is. i, 28, 29) 

We must hasten to live well. 

“Remember that death is not slow. ... Do good to thy friend [thy 
soul] before thou die. . . . Before thy death work justice; for in hell 
there is no finding food. All flesh shall fade as grass, and as the leaf 
that springeth out on a green tree.” (Eccli. xiv, 12-18) 

“Those who in their lives accomplish the work God gave them to do, 
who are meritorious in their works and patterns of great virtue, are 


MEANS OF OBTAINING A HOLY DEATH 


99 


making right use of the present life, and are sowing the seeds of 
future happiness.” (S. Euch.) Imitate them. 

“If you have learned to live well, you will learn to die well.” 
(S. Aug.) 


2. By a sincere repentance 

Contrition. . . . Firm purpose of amendment. ... A good and even 
a general confession. ... To satisfy God by works of penance, and 
to make restitution to our neighbor. 

“Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping, 
and in mourning.” (Joel ii, 12) 

“I say that that man is truly penitent who weeps day and night over 
his sins, who no longer indulges in evil, who does not seek to gratify 
his concupiscence, and who deprives himself of the voluptuous pleas¬ 
ures in which he formerly took delight.” (S. Ambr.) 

“If the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, 
and keep all My commandments, . . . living he shall live and shall not 
die. I will not remember all his iniquities which he hath done.” 
(Ezech. xviii, 21, 22) 


3. By a perfect conformity of our death with that of Jesus Christ 

Finally, the third thing we must do to secure a good death is to 
prepare for our death as Christ prepared for His. In order to prepare 
for death our Lord withdrew from His disciples: “He was withdrawn 
away from them.” (Luke xxii, 41)- A sick man should withdraw his 
heart and affections entirely from this world. Christ accepted His 
sufferings and death: “Not my will, but Thine be done.” (Luke xxii, 
42). This is what the Christian should do. Jesus Christ prayed: 
“Being in an agony He prayed the longer.” (Ibid. 43). At the ap¬ 
proach of death a sick man should pray more fervently and desire to 

be united to Christ. . „ .. 

“Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. (Bhil. 

i 2^^ 

’ “For what have I in heaven? and besides Thee what do I desire 
upon earth?” (Ps. lxxii, 25) 

“When shall I come and appear before the face of God? (Fs. 
xli ) 

‘‘Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly away and be at 

^■‘1 hav^fough/i good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, 
which the Lord, the just Judge, will render to me in that day. 
(2 Tim. iv, 7, 8) 


100 


DEATH OF THE JUST 

“For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able 
to keep that which I have committed unto Him, against that day.” 
{Ibid, i, 12) 

“Go forth, why do you fear? Go forth, my soul, why do you 
hesitate? For close on seventy years you have served Christ faith¬ 
fully, and do you now fear to die?” (S. Jer.) 

“Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evils, for Thou art with me. Thou hast anointed my head 
with oil. . . . And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life; 
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Ps. 
xxii, 4-8) 


Divisions 

I 

There are three reasons why the death of the just is full of joy and 
happiness. 

1. It puts an end to the toils, the cares, and the sufferings of this life, 
and to the dangerous occasions that might cause the eternal ruin of the 
soul. 

2. It puts the just in possession of eternal happiness. 

3. The change which death procures for them fills them with an in¬ 
effable joy. 

II 

1. The just man dies without regret for what he leaves behind him. 

2. He dies full of confidence in what awaits him. 

III 

To die a holy death: 

1. We must watch carefully during our whole life, so as not to be 
surprised by death. 

2. We must, as it were, serve a continual apprenticeship to death by 
the practice of daily mortification: “I die daily.” 

3. We must perform all our actions as if each one was to be the 
last of our life, as if we were to die immediately after having done it. 



XVII 


THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT 

“Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matth. xxii, 16) 

Since Jesus Christ has told us often and clearly that many are called, 
but few are chosen, let us make this terrible truth the subject of our 
instruction. I will show you: I. That there are few saved; II. That 
if we are not of that number, the fault is our own. 

I. THERE ARE FEW SAVED 

The Holy Scriptures, the Fathers, and reason concur in proving this, 
a. The Holy Scriptures 

The Book of Genesis tells us that at the time of the deluge humanity 
was corrupt and that in Abraham’s time there were not ten just men 
in Sodom. 

“All flesh had corrupted its way.” (Gen. vi, 12) 

“Wilt Thou destroy the just with the wicked? . . . What if ten be 
found there?” (Gen. xviii, 23, 32) 

Must we not conclude that there were not many just men among 
them? 

Does not the history of the Jewish people, which can be called the 
history of the infidelity and revolt of that people, show that the num¬ 
ber of the elect is small ? 

And does the licentious conduct of the greater number of Christians 
justify us in believing that their end will be a happy one? 

“There shall not enter into it [the new Jerusalem] anything de¬ 
filed.” (Apoc. xxi, 27) 

“How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: 
and few there are that find it.” (Matth. vii, 14) 

“Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall 
seek to enter, and shall not be able.” (Luke xiii, 24) 

b. The Fathers of the Church 

“How many of those in our city will be saved, think you? It is 
sad that I should have to say so, nevertheless I will say it: In so 
many thousands there cannot be found a hundred who will be saved, and 

IQI 


102 


THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT 


even of those I am doubtful. Why? How great is the malice of 
sin among the young people! How great the indifference among those 
who have grown old! No one takes care of the soul of his child, 
no one has any zeal for his own salvation/’ (S. Chrys.) 

Is our age less corrupt than that of John Chrysostom, when the 
fervor of the first Christians still continued? Ah! Lord, if I put here 
the question which S. John Chrysostom put to the people of the city in 
which he preached—how many of the inhabitants of this parish would 
be saved? For how do they live? Except a small number of Chris¬ 
tians, who have a horror of sin, almost all the rest abandon themselves 
to a sinful and disorderly life. 

“If you take away the very small number of those who fly from 
evil, every assembly of Christians is hardly anything more than a 
rabble plunged into vice.” (Salvian) 

“That is indeed a terrible saying. Many are called, but few are 
chosen; because while all come to an end, but few are led to the 
heavenly kingdom.” (S. Greg.) 

“Who can say: I have been chosen, I am among those destined to 
eternal life, I am among the number of the children?” (S. Bern.) 

“Be of the number of the few if you wish to be among the chosen.” 
(S. Aug.) 


c. Reason 

You know that one can be saved by one or other of two ways only, 
the way of innocence, or that of penance. 

But (i) has the world ever seen less innocence? Where are those 
happy souls who have preserved their baptismal innocence ? Alas! the 
life of the greater number of Christians is but a round of confessions 
and relapses. Neither truth nor charity is any longer seen on this 
earth. Almost all have torn away the bulwark that preserved innocence 
in their hearts. Blasphemy, deceit, the most horrible crimes have 
flooded the whole earth. 

“Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have over¬ 
flowed, and blood hath touched blood.” (Os. iv, 2) 

“There is not any man just, there is none that understandeth, there 
is none that seeketh after God. All have turned out of the way . . . 
there is no one that doth good, there is not so much as one.” (Rom. 
iii, 10-12) 

(2) There is then only one way by which we can save our souls, that 
of penance. But where are the true penitents? Where shall we find 
those who, after having spent the best part of their life in sin, seriously 
endeavor to satisfy the justice of God, and to atone for their sins by 
good works and tears of sincere repentance? 


OUR OWN FAULT IF WE ARE LOST 


103 

“There is none that doth penance for his sins, saying: What have 
I done? ,, (Jer. viii, 6) 

It is difficult to find one who has preserved his baptismal innocence; 
nevertheless, 

“I have had less difficulty in finding those who have preserved their 
innocence, than in finding those who have done suitable penance.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

II. IF WE ARE NOT AMONG THE SAVED, THE FAULT IS OUR OWN 

“Destruction is thy own, O Israel; thy help is only in Me.” (Os. 
xiii, 9) 

1. God wishes to save us, and often we do not want to be saved; 
2. He gives us graces and we abuse them; 3. From this results the 
reprobation of so many sinners. 

1. God wishes to save us, and often we do not want to be sewed 
“This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thess. iv, 3) 

“I desire . . . that supplications, prayers, intercessions, be made . . . 
for all men. . . . For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God 
our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the 
knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. ii, 4, 2) 

“We hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, es¬ 
pecially of the faithful.” (1 Tim. iv, 10) 

“I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn 
thee, taking pity on thee.” (Jer. xxxi, 3) 

“Is it My will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not 
that he should be converted from his ways and live?” (Ez. xviii, 23) 
“This is the will of the Father, who sent Me, that of all that He 
hath given Me I should lose nothing.” (John vi, 39) 

“Who gave Himself a redemption for all.” (1 Tim. ii, 6) 

“Not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to 
penance.” (2 Pet. iii, 9) 

“I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, 
thoughts of peace and not of affliction.” (Jer. xxix, 11) 

“In very deed I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons. 
But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh justice, is ac¬ 
ceptable to Him.” (Acts x, 34, 35) 

“As many as you shall find, call to the marriage.” (Matth. xxii, 9) 
“God wishes all men to be saved, but not so as to take away their 
free will.” (S. Aug.) 

“God made not death, neither hath He pleasure in the destruction of 
the living.” (Wis. i, 13) 


104 


THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT 

“He chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, 
that we should be holy.” (Eph. i, 4) 

“Being predestined according to the purpose of Him, who worketh all 
things according to the counsel of His will.” {Ibid. 11) 

“Those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformable 
to the image of His Son.” (Rom. viii, 29) 

And very often we ourselves do not wish to be saved. God calls us, 
and we do not put ourselves to any trouble to correspond to His holy 
will. How many times has He not warned you by the voice of your 
pastors, preachers, confessors, that you would lose your souls if you did 
not break off those habits of drunkenness, of impurity, etc. ? But you 
have paid no attention to the warnings, and have never really wished 
to return to God by a sincere conversion. 

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . . how often would I have gathered to¬ 
gether thy children, as the hen doth gather together her chickens under 
her wings, and thou wouldst not?” (Matth. xxiii, 37) 

“I called and you refused; I stretched out My hand and there was 
none that regarded. You have despised all my counsel, and have neg¬ 
lected My reprehensions.” (Prov. i, 24, 25) 

“O Lord, Thou hast bruised them, and they have refused to receive 
correction; they have made their faces harder than the rock, and they 
have refused to return.” (Jer. v, 3) 

“Through deceit they have refused to know Me, saith the Lord.” 
(Jer. ix, 6) 

“Judas would perhaps have found a remedy if he had not hastened 
to the halter.” (S. Leo) 

2. God gives us graces and we abuse them 

The means of salvation are not wanting to us. God gives us not 
only that exterior light that strikes the eye, He offers to us also the 
interior and spiritual light that enlightens the soul; but unhappily we 
do not always accept it. What is the cause of this? It is our mind 
which allows itself to be blinded, our heart which allows itself to be 
corrupted by a miserable cupidity and an unhappy attachment to the 
follies and vanities of this world. 

“There is given to each one, without any merit on his part, the help 
by which he may strive for the reward; and there is given to each 
one before he labors, the help that will enable him to receive a re¬ 
ward according to his labor.” (S. Ambr.) 

“[But] it is a people that provoketh to wrath, and lying children, 
children that will not hear the law of God.” (Is. xxx, 9) 

“Go about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and consider, 


OUR OWN FAULT IF WE ARE LOST 


105 


and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man that ex- 
ecuteth judgment and seeketh faith; and I will be merciful unto it. 
And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear 
falsely. O Lord, open their eyes upon truth: Thou hast struck them 
and they have not grieved: Thou hast bruised them and they have re¬ 
fused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than 
the rock, and they have refused to return.” (Jer. v, 1-3) 

“The whole world is seated in wickedness.” (1 John v, 19) 


3. From this results the reprobation of so many sinners 


For what will God do to avenge the abuse of His graces, and how 
will He deal with the sinners who have despised them ? He will make 
use of this same contempt to punish them. 

“Their soul is delighted in their abominations. Wherefore I also 
will choose their mockeries, and will bring upon them the things they 
feared: because I called and there was none that would answer. I 
have spoken and they heard not: and they have done evil in My eyes 
and have chosen the things that displease Me.” (Is. lxvi, 3, 4) 

“I also will laugh at your destruction and will mock.” (Prov. i, 26) 
“You shall seek Me, and you shall die in your sin.” (John viii, 21) 
“We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed: let Us forsake 
her.” (Jer. li, 9) . 

Such is the death of those hardened sinners who, after having long 
resisted the holy inspirations of God, fall from venial sins into those 
that are grave, from sins repeated they contract a habit of sin and from 
a habit of sin they fall into a kind of necessity of sinning; this produces 
hardness of heart, which leads to the final impenitence that conducts to 


hell. 

Unhappy soul, you are then lost through your own fault, lost for 
all eternity, because the time of mercy being past, God will never have 

pity on you. . „ 

“My eye shall not spare thee, and I will show thee no pity. (Ezech. 

vii, 4) 

“Who then can be saved?” (Matth. xix, 25) 

“With fear and trembling work out your salvation.” (Phil, ii, 12) 
“Labor the more that by good works you may make sure your calling 
and election.” (2 Pet. i, 10) 

“A certain man said to Him [Jesus] : Lord, are they few that are 
saved ? But He said to them: Strive to enter by the narrow gate; 
for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. But 
when the master of the house shall be gone in, and shall shut the door, 
you shall begin to stand without and knock at the door, saying. Lord f 


io6 


THE NUMBER OF THE ELECT 


open to us; and he answering shall say to you: I know you not whence 
you are. . . . Depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Luke xiii, 23-28) 

“Let every one depart from iniquity who nameth the name of the 
Lord . . . and pursue justice, faith, charity, and peace.” (2 Tim. ii, 
19, 22) 

“All run indeed, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may 
obtain.” (1 Cor. ix, 24) 

“To-day if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” (Ps. 
xciv, 8) 


Divisions 

I 

Causes of the small number of the elect. 

1. Heaven is opened only to the innocent, and to those who have done 
penance. To which of these classes do you belong? 

2. The principles and obligations that are universally ignored or re¬ 
jected, are those that are indispensable to salvation. 

3. The laws by which men regulate their conduct, the principles that 
have become the rule of the multitude, are laws and principles that 
are incompatible with salvation.” (Massillon) 

II 

1. Why are there so few chosen? 

2. What should we do to assure ourselves that the merciful designs 
of God in our regard will be fulfilled? (Billot) 

III 

1. It is certain that the number of those who are chosen is small. 

2. It is very uncertain whether we shall be of that number. 

IV 

In order to understand that there is no mystery in the small number 
of those who are saved, we have only to consider the life and the death 
of the greater number of Christians. I say then: 

1. That the number of the saved must be very small, because there 
are very few who live in the grace of God; and 

2. Because there are very few who die in the grace of God. 



XVIII 


THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 

“Give an account of thy stewardship.” (Luke xvi, 2) 

Before the general judgment there will be for each one of us a 
particular judgment at the moment of death; the words that were ad¬ 
dressed to the steward in the Gospel will be addressed to us: “Give 
an account.” Let us consider: I. That there is a particular judgment 
when we shall have to give a most exact account of all the good and all 
the evil we shall have done; II. What means we can employ to fore¬ 
stall the rigors of this judgment. 

I. THERE IS FOR EACH ONE, AT THE MOMENT WHEN HE 
BREATHES HIS LAST BREATH, A PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 
THAT WILL DECIDE HIS ETERNAL DESTINY 

“It is appointed unto men once to die and after death the judgment.” 
(Heb. ix, 27) 

To live, to die, to be judged, behold the whole lot of man. ^ 

“Behold Thou hast made my days measurable.” (Ps. xxxviii, 6) 

“There is no going back of our end; for it is fast sealed, and no man 
returneth.” (Wis. ii, 5) 

“We must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, that 
every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he 
hath done, whether it be good or evil.” (2 Cor. v, 10) 

1. We must give an account of the good we shall have done 

There are gifts of nature, of fortune, and of grace. The gifts of 
nature regard the body and the soul. What use have you made of your 
body? . of the faculties of your soul? ... of your property? . . . 
How have you gained it? Of “that which remaineth give alms. 
(Luke xi, 41). Have you done so? 

Gifts of grace. . . . Holy thoughts, inspirations, instructions, con¬ 
fessions, Communions, etc. . . . what profit have you derived from 
them? Ah’ How great the value of one grace! And what an ac¬ 
count must he not give who will have received hundreds of them? 

“When the gifts increase, the accounts to be given of them increase 

also.” (S. Greg.) 


107 


io8 THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 

And what answer shall he who will have received thousands of 
graces, give to Jesus Christ, when He will reproach him for having 
abused His Blood and merits? Ungrateful sinner, what could I have 
done for your salvation that I have not done? 

“What is there that I ought to do more to My vineyard that I have 
not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes 
and it hath brought forth wild grapes?” (Is. v, 4) 

“I will judge every one of you according to his ways.” (Ezech. 
xxxiii, 20) 

“God is not a respecter of persons.” (Acts x, 34) 

2. We must give an account of the evil we have done 

We shall be examined, not only regarding gross sins, but also about 
voluntary thoughts of impurity, envy, revenge. 

“Inquisition shall be made into the thoughts of the ungodly.” (Wis. 

i. 9) 

At present you see those sins one after another only, but then you 
shall see them all together. Though you would only commit three sins 
a week, that would be one hundred and fifty sins in a year; and in ten, 
twenty years, what a number! The thought of so rigorous an examina¬ 
tion made King David tremble: “Thou hast understood my thoughts 
afar off; my path and my line Thou hast searched out.” (Ps. 
cxxviii, 3) 

“I will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will set all thy abom¬ 
inations against thee.” (Ezech. vii, 3) 

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they 
shall render an account for it in the day of judgment.” (Matth. xii, 36) 

“Thou wilt render to every man according to his works.” (Ps. 
lxi, 12) 

“I feared all my works, knowing that Thou didst not spare the 
offender.”(Job ix, 28) 

We shall give an account, not only of our own faults, but also of 
those of others, if we have co-operated in them. . . . Innkeepers . . . 
masters and mistresses . . . fathers and mothers. . . . 

“Thou hast rather honored thy sons than Me.” (1 Kings ii, 29) 

Disguise, forget your sins as much as you please. . . . “He [the 
Lord] will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make 
manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have 
praise from God.” (1 Cor. iv, 5) 

“Thou writest bitter things against me, and wilt consume me for 
the sins of my youth.” (Job xiii, 26) 

Our conscience is like a great book in which all our deeds are written; 
the sinner keeps this book closed during his life, but at the hour of death 


FORESTALLING THE RIGORS OF JUDGMENT 109 


it will be opened. Those acts of treachery, those false oaths, those im¬ 
pure acts—all will accuse him: “We are your works; we will be with 
you always; we will go with you to judgment.” (S. Bern.) 

“The Judge will not be influenced by favor, nor turned aside by pity, 
nor corrupted by money, nor appeased by satisfaction.” (S. Aug.) 

“The Lord shall be known when He executes judgment: He is not 
known now in the time of His mercy.” (S. Aug.) 


II. MEANS OF FORESTALLING THE RIGORS OF THIS JUDGMENT 

However rigorous this particular judgment may be, we can anticipate 
its rigor, and render our Judge favorable to us by judging ourselves 
sincerely now. 

“If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Cor. 
xi, 31) 

“I wish to be presented before the face of His anger as one already 
judged, not as one to be judged.”(S. Bern.) 

To do this we have only to consider the conduct of the steward in 
the Gospel, and to imitate what there is of good in his example. 


1. To enter into ourselves and to acknowledge our guilt. 

“The steward said within himself : What shall I do ?” (Luke xvi, 3) 

Let us acknowledge we have been unjust stewards, and say: “O just, 
avenging Judge, hear my prayer. Pardon my sins before that day of 
dread account.” (Dies Irae) 

“God has placed it in our power to decide how we shall be judged.” 
(S. Aug.) 

2. “To dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed,” said the steward 
in the Gospel. This is an image of many sinners who, though touched 
by grace, have not the courage to practise works of penance. ... But 
let them not be discouraged: “The Lord who is good will show mercy 
to all them who with their heart seek the God of their fathers; and will 
not impute it to them that they are not sanctified.” (2 Paral. 
XXX, 18, 19) 

If they cannot do the penance of the strong, let them do that ot the 
weak. Let them bear patiently the crosses and afflictions with which 
this life is filled. Let them accept sufferings and illness in expiation of 
their sins. Oh! how beneficial such practices would be in these un¬ 
happy times, when evils swooping down on every side, come to us as 
messengers of death. 

3 As the steward sought to gain friends, “that they may receive me 
into their houses” (Luke xvi, 4), so we must make friends with what 


no 


THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 

the Gospel calls the mammon of iniquity: “Make unto you friends of 
the mammon of iniquity, that when you shall fail, they may receive you 
into everlasting dwellings.” (Luke xvi, 9) 

You have made a bad use of the goods given you by God; you must 
for the future make a good use of them. Hasten to make reparation 
for the injustice of which you have been guilty; give alms to the poor, 
and be assured that when you do good to them, you are doing greater 
good to yourself : “For alms deliver from all sin and from death, and 
will not suffer the soul to go into darkness.” (Job iv, 11) 

4. Finally, the unfaithful steward changes his conduct. The sin¬ 
ner also must think seriously of his conversion. That is the means 
without which all others would be useless. The hour when God will 
detnand from us an account of all our acts, will certainly come, and 
perhaps is not as far off as we imagine. 

The last hour is come. . . . “Now is the acceptable time.” (2 Cor. 

vi, 9) 

Sinners, think seriously on your state before the sentence is pro¬ 
nounced. Spare no means by which you can render your Judge fav¬ 
orable to you. Is it necessary to root up bad habits? ... to quit the 
occasions of sin? . . . to pardon an enemy? Work at it unceasingly. 

Enter into the feelings of the Apostle, S. Paul: “Having hope in 
God . . . that there shall be a resurrection of the just and unjust. 
And herein do I endeavor to have always a conscience without offence 
towards God and towards men.” (Acts xxiv, 15, 16) 

“Blessed will be that man who is influenced in all he does by the 
thought of the divine judgment.” (S. Hilary) 


Divisions 

I 

The sinner summoned to the judgment-seat of God. 

1. The surprise of the soul at that moment, when it sees itself sep¬ 
arated from all, from its relatives, etc. It is alone and has for company 
nothing but its own works, which are the cause of fear to it. 

2. The terror with which it is seized at that moment, is like that 
with which Balthazar was filled. 

3. The alarm caused to the sinner by a guilty conscience, which ac¬ 
cuses and condemns him in advance, especially as he knows he cannot 
in any way influence the just Judge. 

4. When he thinks of the importance of the matter, that there is 



FORESTALLING THE RIGORS OF JUDGMENT hi 

question of his happiness or misery for all eternity, in vain does he 
beg: “A truce until morning” ... he cannot obtain anything. 

II 

The sinner accused at the tribunal of God. 

He will be examined regarding the sins he committed, the good badly 
done, or which he neglected; the abuse of the benfits he received from 
God; the graces, the lights given to him. He shall have to give an ac¬ 
count of his natural talents and of his temporal goods, and of the sins 
he should have prevented. 


Ill 

The sinner condemned at the tribunal of God. 

1. An irrevocable decree of reprobation against the criminal: hav¬ 
ing examined and weighed all, God judges that he is unworthy of 
eternal happiness. 

2. An infallible judgment: it is not liable to error, as is the judgment 
of men. 

3. A judgment by which that soul is eternally abandoned by God and 
delivered to the power of the devil. 

4. An irrevocable decree, which is executed as soon as it is made: 
“Depart into everlasting fire.” 


XIX 


THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 

“Then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power 
and majesty.” (Luke xxi, 27) 

If ever words were spoken that should fill us with terror, these are 
they; and of scenes that make us tremble I do not know one which, 
with the help of divine grace, will more efficaciously stir up salutary 
emotions in our souls, than that of the last judgment. It is in vain, 
sinners, that you now close your eyes, so that you may not see your 
Saviour; you shall see Him then: ‘‘Then they shall see/’ Ah! how 
terrible that sight will be for a sinner who does not wish to give him¬ 
self to Jesus Christ, nor to profit by His first coming! Consider; 
I. The sinner judged and condemned by Jesus Christ; II. The sinner 
judged and condemned by himself. 

I. THE SINNER JUDGED AND CONDEMNED BY JESUS CHRIST 

The certainty of the last judgment is an article of faith. 

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is 
He who was appointed by God to be Judge of the living and of the 
dead.” (Acts x, 42) 

“He [the Father] hath given him [Christ] power to do judgment, 
because He is the Son of Man.” (John v, 27) 

Jesus Christ as man will judge all men. 

“That Nature will be the judge because it has submitted to judgment, 
it will judge because it has been judged; it has been unjustly judged, 
it will judge justly.” (S. Aug.) 

Signs that will precede the judgment. 

“The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be 
moved. And then there shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in 
heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall 
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power 
and majesty. And He shall send His angels with a trumpet, and a 
great voice; and they shall gather together the elect from the four 
winds.” (Matth. xxiv, 29-31) 


112 


THE SINNER JUDGED BY CHRIST 113 

Men shall “wither away for fear and expectation of what shall come 
upon the whole world.” (Luke xxi, 26) 

“Behold, the day of the Lord shall come, a cruel day, and full of in¬ 
dignation, and of wrath, and fury, to lay the land desolate, and to de¬ 
stroy the sinners thereof out of it.” (Is. xiii, 9) 

“The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of His people 
and its princes.” (Is. iii, 14) 

“I will gather together all nations, and will bring them down into the 
valley of Josaphat; and I will plead with them there for My people, 
and for My inheritance, Israel.” (Joel iii, 2) 

Two specially malicious insults were offered to our Lord during His 
passion: the first, dragging Him before the most unjust of all judges; 
the second, falsely imputing crime to Him. To punish these insults by 
a just return, He will oblige sinners to appear before Him, and will com¬ 
pare the criminal indulgence of their lives with the holiness of His own. 

1. His presence shall confound them; 2. the holiness of His life 
shall condemn them. 


1. His presence shall confound them 

So little consideration did our Divine Lord receive during His Pas¬ 
sion, that not even the form of justice was observed towards Him. 
He shall judge those who judged Him, and shall punish their iniquities. 

“Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand 
of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” (Matth. 
xxvi, 64) 

He was judged and condemned unjustly. 

“Arise, O God, judge Thy own cause; remember Thy reproaches 
with which the foolish man hath reproached Thee all the day. Forget 
not the voices of Thy enemies.” (Ps. lxxiii, 22, 23) 

Then the words of the Royal Prophet will be fulfilled, then Christ 
will punish all the outrages inflicted on Him. 

“God shall come manifestly; our God shall come and shall not keep 
silence. A^fire shall burn before Him.” (Ps. xlix, 3, 4) 

Thus the* damned will desire nothing so earnestly as to escape from 
the sight of this Sovereign Judge, and they will cry out: 

“They say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide 
us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the 
wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come and who 
shall be able to stand?” (Apoc. vi, 16, 17) 

But their desires are vain! The Jews shall see Him, the gentiles 
shall see Him, Christians who have so often inflicted outrages on Him 
shall see Him. The just will see Him for their consolation, the wicked, 
for their confusion. 


THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 


114 

“They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” (John xix, 37) 

“Every eye shall see Him.” (Apoc. i, 7) 

“The wicked shall see, and shall be angry, he shall gnash his teeth 
and pine away.” (Ps. cxi, 10) 

“The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up 
against him.” (Job xx, 27) 

“They shall go into the holes of rocks, and into the caves of the 
earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, when He shall rise up 
to strike the earth.” (Is. ii, 19) 

“I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will show thy nakedness to 
the nations.” (Nahum iii, 5) 

“The great day of the Lord is near. . . . That day is a day of wrath, 
a day of tribulation and distress, a day of calamity and misery, a day 
of darkness and obscurity, a day of clouds and whirlwinds, a day of 
trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high bul¬ 
warks.” (Sophon. i, 14-16) 

“As often as I reflect on that day, my whole body trembles with 
terror: whether I eat or drink, or whatever else I do, that awful 
trumpet seems to sound in my ears: Arise, ye dead, and come to judg¬ 
ment.” (S. Jerome) 

“It will be impossible to remain concealed, it will be intolerable to ap¬ 
pear.” (S. Anselm) 

“What shall I do when God shall rise to judge? And when He 
shall examine, what shall I answer?” (Job xxxi, 14) 

“Thou art terrible [O Lord], and who shall resist Thee?” (Ps. 
lxxv, 8) 

“Who shall be able to think of the day of His coming? and who 
shall stand to see Him?” (Malach. iii, 2) 

“Even the saints will not behold God’s presence without fear.” (S. 
Jerome) 


2. The holiness of His life shall condemn them 

Sinners shall not only be confounded at the presence of Jesus Christ, 
they shall also be condemned by the holiness of His life. 

“He that despiseth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that 
judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge in the 
last day.” (John xii, 48) 

That life so pure and holy, that Gospel so incontrovertible in its 
truths, so exact in its morality, the holy religion destined to make me 
happy, will render me inexcusable, if, after having professed it as a 
Christian, I have had the misfortune to contradict it by my conduct: 
“The word which I have spoken,” etc. 

How great, then, shall be the confusion of the sinner, whose life was 


THE SINNER JUDGED BY HIMSELF 115 

totally opposed to Jesus Christ and His Gospel! . . . What confusion 
for the avaricious man . . . the proud . . . the ambitious . . . the 
voluptuous and impure man ... for the drunkard and the dis¬ 
solute . . . for the man addicted to anger and revenge! 

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, 
that shall not be known.” (Luke xii, 2) 

“He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make 
manifest the counsels of the hearts.” (1 Cor. iv, 5) 

Ah! sinners, whoever you may be, that have never wished to return 
to God, that have always despised Jesus Christ and His graces, re¬ 
member that one day He will be your judge. Yes, that adorable Savi¬ 
our, who has done so much to gain your love, will come on the last 
day to judge you, and it is He Himself who will pronounce the sentence 
of your condemnation. 

“I will judge him there for the transgression by which he hath de¬ 
spised me.” (Ezech. xvii, 20) 

And then will come to pass that which was foretold by the prophet: 
“The just shall see, and shall rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her 
mouth.” (Ps. cvi, 42) 

Speak then, reprobate soul: “Tell, if thou hast anything to justify 
thyself.” (Is. xliii, 26) 

Alas! Lord, I have no answer to give; “Thou art just, O Lord; and 
Thy judgment is right.” (Ps. cxviii, 137) 

“I will judge justices.” (Ps. lxxiv, 3) 

“If the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
the sinner appear.” (1 Pet. iv, 8) 

“I will reprove thee and set before thy face.” (Ps. xlix, 21) 

“The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” (Is. ii, 17) 

“Behold the Lord cometh with thousands of His saints to execute 
judgment upon all, and to reprove all the ungodly for all the works 
of their ungodliness.” (Jude v, 14, 15) 

II. THE SINNER JUDGED AND CONDEMNED BY HIMSELF 

The sinner shall be forced to condemn himself, his conscience shall 
be his judge; it will convict him of two things, which will be the cause 
of his despair and condemnation: (1) that he could have saved his 
soul; (2) that he did not wish to do so. 

1. He could have saved his soul 

How many means of salvation has he not had! I have received 
baptism,” he shall have to acknowledge; “I have received the faith and 
the Gospel. That Gospel taught me what I should do to save my soul. 
How often have I not heard it preached! How many times have I not 


n6 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 

received the sacraments! All these are means of salvation which 
render me inexcusable. ,, 

“What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I have 
not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes, 
and it hath brought forth wild grapes?” (Is. v, 4) 

“The soul, conscious of evil, while it seems to suffer no pain, believes 
that God will not judge it, and so the judgments of God are taken away 
from before its face, which in itself may be the supreme condemnation.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“In this judgment there will be the accusing sins on one side, and on 
the other, the dread justice; below, the open jaws of hell; above, the 
angry Judge; inside, a guilty conscience; outside, the world in arms 
[against the sinner].” (S. Anselm) 


2. He did not wish to be saved 

The sinner will see that he could have saved his soul, but that he 
did not wish to do so, and that if he is condemned, it is through his own 
fault. 

“I called and you refused.” (Prov. i, 24) 

“Jerusalem, . . . how often would I have gathered together thy 
children, as the hen doth gather together her chickens under her wings, 
and thou wouldest not?” (Matth. xxii, 37) 

“You have despised all My counsel, and have neglected My reprehen¬ 
sions. I also will laugh at your destruction, and will mock when that 
shall come to you which you feared.” (Prov. i, 25, 26) 

“Ah! I will comfort myself over my adversaries, I will be revenged 
of my enemies.” (Is. i, 24) 

Like the brothers of Joseph they will then say: “We deserve to suf¬ 
fer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing 
the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: 
therefore is this affliction come upon us.” (Gen. xlii, 21) 

A sad but true picture of sinners on the day of judgment! They 
shall see and be forced to acknowledge that they deserve the punish¬ 
ment inflicted on them. 

“We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honor. 
Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their 
lot is among the saints. Therefore we have erred from the way of 
truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us. . . . We 
wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction, and have 
walked through hard ways, but the way of the Lord we have not 
known. What hath pride profited us? Or what advantage hath the 
boasting of riches brought us ? All these things have passed away like 


THE SINNER JUDGED BY HIMSELF 117 

a shadow. . . . But we are consumed in our wickedness. Such things 
as these the sinners said in hell.” (Wis. v, 4-14) 

What regrets! . . . What remorse! . . . What despair! 

“Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting.” (Dan. 
v, 27) 

“Destruction is thy own, O Israel.” (Os. xiii, 9) 

“They shall have no speech of comfort in the day of wrath.” (Wis. 
iii, 18) 

“We must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, that 
every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he 
hath done, whether it be good or evil.” (2 Cor. v, 10) 

“What does it matter to you when it [the judgment] comes? So 
live as if it were at hand, and when it does come, you will not fear it.’ 
(S. Aug.) 

“The hour cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the 
voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things shall 
come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil 
unto the resurrection of judgment.” (John v, 28, 29) 

“At whose [Christ’s] coming all men will rise again in their bodies; 
and they will give an account of their works. And the just shall go 
into eternal life; but the wicked shall go into everlasting fire.” (Atha- 
nasian Creed) 

“Then shall the King say to them that shall be on His right hand: 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world.” (Matth. xxv, 34) 

“Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand: 
Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared 
for the devil and his angels.” (Ibid. 41) 

“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted 
worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before 
the Son of Man.” (Luke xxi, 36) 

“We must keep the thought of God’s judgment always before our 
minds.” (S. Chrys.) 

“I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 

“Pierce my flesh with Thy fear; for I am afraid of Thy judgments.” 
(Ps. cxviii, 120) 

“What shall I, a poor sinner, say then? Save me, O Fount of pity! 
Pardon me before that day of dread account. Remember, sweet Jesus, 
... do not let me be lost on that day. My prayers do not deserve 
to be heard by Thee, but do Thou in Thy goodness graciously hear 
them: Call me with the blessed.” (Dies Irae) 



n8 


THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 


Divisions 

I 

God has done all things both for Himself ajid for His elect. When 
He determined to judge the world He had two principal ends in 
view, the one to do justice to Himself, and tne other to do justice to 
His saints. 

1. Judgment that will avenge the outrages the world has inflicted 
on God. 

2. Judgment that will avenge the injuries the world has inflicted on 
the elect. (Bourdaloue) 

II 

1. At the judgment-seat of God the sinner will be overwhelmed 
with the most bitter confusion. 

2. At the judgment-seat of God the sinner will be condemned with 
the greatest severity. (Billot) 

III 

1. What will render the general judgment terrible to the sinner, 
without speaking of the fearful signs that will precede it, is 

i°. The manner in which God will demand an exact account of his 
life, without allowing anything to escape Him; 

2°. The end of this judgment, which is the manifestation of con¬ 
sciences, the justification of God’s providence, the justice of the sentence 
of condemnation against the reprobate; 

3°. The sad and inevitable result of that judgment, in which the 
condemned sinners will see themselves without any help and abandoned 
by all. 

2. On the other hand, 

i°. The just will be consoled by the testimony of their consciences; 

2°. All their good works, which have been hidden and unknown, 
will be manifested to the whole world; 

3°. They will be rewarded and crowned as they deserve. 

IV 

1. On that day Jesus Christ will exercise the office of a Judge, 

i°. Sovereignly enlightened; 2°. Exact and severe; 3 0 . Incor¬ 
ruptible, inflexible, inexorable. 

2. On that day Christ will inflict punishment on men, and we must 
judge of that punishment by the severity of His justice, and by the 
enormity of the crimes He shall have to punish. 


XX 


ETERNITY 

“I go to Him that sent Me, and none of you asketh Me: Whither goest 
Thou?” (John xvi, 5) 

How great is the insensibility, the carelessness of men! We are 
constantly told that everlasting torments or eternal happiness will one 
day be the lot of all mankind, and yet we never think seriously of 
eternity. Let us consider: I. The truth of eternity; II. The in¬ 
sensibility of men regarding eternity. 

I. THE TRUTH OF ETERNITY 

What is eternity? “It is the complete and perfect possession of a 
never-ending life.” (Boetius) 

With regard to God, it is a necessary duration which has never had 
a beginning and will never have an end. With regard to the angels 
and men, it has had a commencement, but shall have no end. 

“Their time shall be for ever.” (Ps. lxxx, 16) 

“Say what you will regarding eternity, but no matter what you say, 
it will be less than the reality.” (S. Aug.) 

Take, for example, as many years, millions of years, as there are 
grains of sand on the sea shore; they would be nothing compared with 
eternity. All those years would end some day, but eternity will never 
end. 

“That which has an end cannot be compared with eternity.” (S. 

Aug.) 

“Where you think you will find an end, there eternity begins.” (S. 
Hilary) 

“Sorrow continues that it may afflict, nature endures that it may 
suffer.” (S. Aug.) 

“And the sinner will think that the abyss is as it were coming to 
an end.” (S. Greg.) 

Proofs of the truth of eternity. 

1. The Old Testament 

The Holy Ghost explains it by the mouth of the Prophet Daniel: 
“Those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake; some unto 

119 


120 


ETERNITY 


life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always.” (Dan. 
xii, 2) 

How long this “always” shall be! How full of despair for the 
damned! 

“He will give fire and worms into their flesh, that they may burn 
and may feel for ever.” (Judith xvi, 21) 

In this life sinners disregard the threats of God; they laugh when 
reminded of them; but they will not laugh always. 

“Hell hath enlarged her soul, and opened her mouth without any 
bounds, and their strong ones, and their people, and their high and 
glorious ones shall go down into it.” (Is. v, 14) 

“Why is my sorrow become perpetual, and my wound desperate, 
so as to refuse to be healed?” (Jer. xv, 18) 

“There is neither past nor future in eternity, for the past no longer 
exists, and the future has not yet come; therefore, what there is, is 
nothing but the present.” (S. Aug.) 

It is only the present that always lasts. 

2. The New Testament 

John beginning to preach penance in order to prepare the people to 
receive the teaching of Jesus Christ, showed them at the same time 
what punishment is reserved for those who will not appease the anger 
of God by worthy fruits of penance. 

“Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His 
floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but the chaff He will burn 
with unquenchable fire.” (Matth. iii, 12) 

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire. These shall 
go into everlasting punishment; but the just, into life everlasting.” 
(Matth. xxv, 41, 46) 

“In those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it; and 
they shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them.” (Apoc. ix, 6) 

“The angels, who kept not their principality, but forsook their own 
habitation, He hath reserved under darkness in everlasting chains, 
unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 6) 

On these authorities the Church establishes three great truths, which 
are so many articles of faith: 

(a) The first is, that the word “eternal” must not be taken in a 
figurative or hyperbolical sense, but in a literal, true, and real sense. 

“Who know not God, and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction.” 
(2 Thess. i, 8, 9) 

(b) The second, that the moment a person dies in mortal sin, that 


THE TRUTH OF ETERNITY 121 

same instant, without delay or interruption, he is hurled into an eternity 
of torments. 

“The rich man also died, and he was buried in hell.” (Luke xvi, 22) 

(c) The third, that the fire will be eternal not only in its duration, 
but also in its action and application. This is why S. Augustine re¬ 
marks that in the Scriptures it is not only said: “Into eternal fire,” 
but also, “into eternal burning.” Therefore there will be eternal 
burning as well as fire. 

“He shall be punished for all that he did, and yet shall not be 
consumed: according to the multitude of his devices, so also shall he 
suffer.” (Job xx, 18) 

“Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched.” 
(Is. Lxvi, 24) 

“The wretched immortal creatures shall live in the midst of fire, 
and unconsuming flames shall envelope the naked body.” (S. Cypr.) 

But, the libertine will say, is it just that for the sin of a moment we 
should be condemned to eternal torments! You dare to accuse God 
of injustice! Is it not enough that faith tells you that God has so 
decreed? Is not that sufficient to convince you that there is nothing 
in His decree but what is just? Do you not see how malefactors are 
punished every day? This murderer has taken only a moment to 
commit a crime, he is condemned to a frightful prison for the rest of 
his days. If sin had not confused our judgment, we would easily 
understand how it is that it deserves eternal pain. Mortal sin is an in¬ 
finite offence against God; an infinite offence demands an infinite satis¬ 
faction. This is why it was necessary that Christ should make satis¬ 
faction for us. 

Moreover, the sin of him who dies in this unhappy state lasts for¬ 
ever. The sin, not having been pardoned during life, will never be 
pardoned after death, when there is no longer any redemption. 

“Because the disease was not cured, the punishment will be without 
end.” (Euseb.) 

“Argue not against God; but rather let those who desire to be 
free from everlasting punishment, obey the divine precept while there is 
yet time.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is the duty of a strict judge to see that he who has never wished 
to be free from sin in this life, should never be free from punishment 
in the next.” (S. Greg.) 

“That which is never atoned for, should be always punished.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“The pleasure is momentary, the punishment is eternal.” (S. Bern.) 

“If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe 
if one rise from the dead.” (Luke xvi, 31) 


122 


ETERNITY 


“[But] you shall know that I am the Lord when I have poured out 
My indignation upon you.” (Ezech. xxii, 22) 


II. THE INSENSIBILITY OF MANKIND WITH REGARD TO ETERNITY 

It is true, then, that there is an eternity. Nevertheless most men 
are indifferent with regard to it because, (1) they do not believe in 
it; (2) or they do not think seriously on it. 

1. Many Christians do not believe in eternity, at least not with a 
lively faith. For if they believed in it, could there be greater madness 
than to live as they do ? 

If you yourselves, my brethren, were convinced that eternity is in¬ 
evitable (as St. Ambrose was convinced of it when he said: I must 
fall into one or other of these two eternities), would you put off your 
conversion ? 

“I have abandoned the Lord, and am in danger of eternal ruin.” 
(Tert.) 

What inference should we draw from this truth? That we must 
employ every possible means to regain the friendship of God. 

“Therefore I meditate, and mortify myself by fasts and penances, 
in order to recover the friendship of God, whom I offended by sin.” 
(Tert.) 

The holy solitary, Martinian, performed severe penances, for which 
he gave this reason: “I have felt harder things, I have felt severer 
things, I have seen eternal sufferings.” 

“Woe to those who must first experience these things before they 
believe them.” (S. Anselm) 

2. A still greater number do not think of eternity. The prophet says 
that sinners, who should take precautions to avoid the sad consequences 
of a bad death, do not condescend even to think of these consequences; 
and that the judgments of God, which should be always before their 
minds, are very far from their thoughts. 

“There is no regard to their death.” (Ps. lxxii, 4) 

“Thy judgments are removed from his sight.” (Ps. x, 5, Heb.) 

“They dispute about that which lasts for a moment only, they care 
not for that which is eternal. They enter an unknown and unwished 
for eternity; but, alas! they enter and do not return.” (S. Cesarius 
of Arles) 

Must we be astonished if the eternity which follows that death and 
those judgments makes so slight an impression on them? They trouble 
themselves only about what is temporal,—and yet, (< quid haec ad aeterni- 


MAN’S INDIFFERENCE TO ETERNITY 


123 

tatem?” For, understand clearly: “Man shall go into the house of 
his eternity.” (Eccle. xii, 5) 

“I thought upon the days of old: and I had in my mind the eternal 
years.” (Ps. lxxvi, 6) 

“Great thought! The heart of him who thinks of these eternal years 
will be filled with peace.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let us be intent upon eternity.” (S. Leo) 

Consider that “There is no going back of our end.” (Wis. ii, 5) 

But, alas! after the sinner has passed his whole life in the excessive 
love of earthly riches and pleasures, it is indeed difficult for him, when 
on his death-bed, to think of eternity. How do you imagine he can 
think of it when he is tortured by the pains of illness? He has no 
longer any hope; and yet his mind is occupied with things of this 
world only:—Who will get my position ? What will become of my 
children ? O blindness of man with regard to eternity! 

“O eternity! he who meditates on you, and does not repent, either 
has no faith, or, if he has faith, has no heart.” (S. Aug.) 

“Here burn, here cut, here spare not, that you may spare me in 
eternity.” (S. Aug.) 

“Fear Him that can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matth. 
x, 28) 

“Understand, ye senseless among the people: and you fools, be 
wise at last.” (Ps. xciii, 8) 


Divisions 

I 

What is most intolerable in the pains of hell is their eternity . Let 
us consider: 1. How faith should strengthen our belief in an un¬ 
happy eternity; and 2. How belief in an unhappy eternity should urge 
us to practise works of faith. 

1. Faith sets right the errors regarding eternity. These errors 
are: 

(a) that God is too good to inflict eternal punishment on a sinful 
soul; 

(b) that He is too just to avenge for endless ages that which passed 
away in an instant; 

(c) that He has not power to cause a creature to exist for eternity 
in sufferings and torments. 

2. It makes perfect our lights; because there are not wanting, to 
us reasons to justify the laws of God regarding an unhappy eternity. 



124 


ETERNITY 


(a) The will of the sinner, who would have continued in sin for¬ 
ever if God had allowed him to live forever; 

(b) mortal sin, not being atoned for after death, must always exist 
and undergo the punishment due to it; 

(c) sin, offending an infinite God, deserves an infinite punishment. 

Faith in an eternity of pain is one of the most powerful motives 
to cause us to return to a life of grace, or to keep us there, and to 
help us to live as Christians. Two special qualities of this motive: 

i°. It is universal, calculated to influence even the slothful; 

2°. it is most evident to the senses. (Bourdaloue) 

II 

There is an eternity of pain reserved in the other life for the chas¬ 
tisement of sinners, to which they are justly condemned. Consider, 

1. The truth of the existence of this pain; 

2. Its justice and equity. (Claude Joly) 

III 

Benefits produced by the thought of eternity 

1. Eternity, seriously meditated on and well understood, produces 
in the sinner a spirit of penance for the past. 

2. It prevents his relapse into sin. 

3. It produces in him a great indifference to and a disrelish for 
worldly goods. (Claude Joly) 


XXI 


HELL 

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.” (Matth. xxv, 41) 

You all know that the existence of hell is one of the principal points 
of belief of the Church, one of the chief articles of our faith, which 
the greater number of heretics admit as well as we. 

I will content myself with showing you that of all evils there is not 
one greater than that of a lost soul. What then is a lost soul? It is 
an unhappy being: I. Deprived of all goods; II. Overwhelmed by 
all evils; III. Tormented for all eternity. 

I. A LOST SOUL IS DEPRIVED OF ALL GOODS 

A lost soul is deprived of all goods, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. 

1. Of all the good things which the sinner enjoys in this life not one 
will follow him into eternity. 

“The rich man when he shall sleep shall take away nothing with 
him; he shall open his eyes and find nothing.” (Job xxvii, 19) 

“There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine 
linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. . . . The rich man also 
died, and he was buried in hell.” (Luke xvi, 19, 22) 

The wealthy sinner made a bad use of his wealth; now he is so poor 
that of all his past riches, pleasures, glory, there remains to him only 
a sad memory. 

“Son [it was said to him] remember that thou didst receive good 
things in thy life time. And besides all this, between us and you there 
is fixed a great chaos.” (Luke xvi, 25, 26) 

That is the answer which he will hear during all eternity. Not even 
one drop of water will he receive to cool his burning tongue. 

Behold the state to which each damned soul will be reduced, from 
the moment of its condemnation. Goods, dignities, friends, pleasures, 
amusements,—it shall see itself deprived of all, and even those things 
which it employed as instruments to offend God, will be used by Al¬ 
mighty God as instruments for its punishment. 

“Those things in which the sinner found pleasure will be used by 
God as instruments with which to punish him.” (S. Aug.) 

125 


126 


HELL 


“As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so 
much torment and sorrow give ye to her.” (Apoc. xviii, 7) 

“By what things a man sinneth, by the same also he is tormented.” 
(Wis. xi, 17) 

“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down 
to hell.” (Job xxi, 12) 

“A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and 
no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth.” (Job x, 22) 

“Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matth. xxii, 13) 
“The way of sinners is made plain with stones, and in their end 
is hell, and darkness, and pains.” (Eccli. xxi, 11) 

“To him that is little, mercy is granted: but the mighty shall be 
mightily tormented.” (Wis. vi, 7) 

“What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting 
of riches brought us?” (Wis. v, 8) 

“They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found 
nothing in their hands.” (Ps. lxxv, 6) 

2. The damned soul is deprived of all spiritual benefits 

There is no longer any grace, no longer are there any sacraments. 
The time of penance and merit is passed: no one will obtain mercy in 
hell. 

“Who shall confess to Thee in hell?” (Ps. vi, 6) 

Drunkards, libertines, ask any of your former companions in sin 
if there is any redemption in hell. Alas! they will answer you: “Out 
of hell there is no redemption.” There is no longer a victim for sin, 
they will say; we now await only that last and dreadful judgment which 
shall fill us with confusion before the whole world. 

“A certain dreadful expectation of judgment and the rage of a fire 
which shall consume their adversaries.” (Heb. x, 27) 

“My eye shall not spare, neither will I show mercy.” (Ezech. vii, 9) 

3. The damned soul is deprived of eternal happiness 

There is no eternal happiness for the reprobate. To form a true 
idea of the loss which he has suffered, it would be necessary to form a 
true idea of God. In this life the sinner does not perceive the natural 
connection that exists between God and the soul; but in hell that soul, 
freed from the senses, will see clearly that it can never be happy with¬ 
out God. Neither the fire, nor the torture inflicted by the devils, will 
ever equal the agony caused by the thought that shall forever haunt 
the damned soul: I have lost God, I have lost Him for nothing, 1 
have lost Him forever! 


STATE OF THE LOST SOUL 


127 


“Some shall awake unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, 
to see it always.” (Dan. xii, 2) 

Who could understand what the agitation of a damned soul will 
be, attracted on the one side by the perfections of God, who should be 
the centre of its happiness and of its repose, and, on the other, repulsed, 
driven back by God’s justice? It will wish to unite itself to Him, it 
will spring towards Him, and this infinitely holy God, seeing in that lost 
soul all the foul deformity of mortal sin, will cast it away forever, and 
say to it: “Depart from Me, accursed creature, you have abused my 
mercy.” 

“Call His name: Not my people; for you are not My people, and 
I will not be yours.” (Os. i, 9) 

“Call her name: without mercy; for I will not add any more to have 
mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly forget them.” (Os. 
i, 6) 

Terrible words! strange name! name of separation, of reprobation, 
of malediction and anathema. Begone, wretched creature, I know you 
no longer, I am no longer your God, you no longer belong to My people. 

“Separation from God inflicts a pain as great as God Himself is 
great.” (S. Aug.) 

“They are tortured more by Heaven than by hell.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Many dread the fire of hell, but I dread above all the sad depriva¬ 
tion of eternal glory; for we, who have not known the grandeur of 
the heavenly Good, cannot understand how terrible an evil it is to be 
deprived of that good.” (S. Chrys.) 


II. THE DAMNED SOUL IS OVERWHELMED BY ALL EVILS 

I do not wish to give you any other idea of hell than that given of 
it in the Holy Scripture itself: 

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.” (Matth. xxv, 

4 1 ) 

“Depart from Me”: Behold the deprivation of God, of which we 
have just spoken. “Into everlasting fire : that is the pain of sense. 
From this I conclude: (1) that the principal pain of sense of the 
damned will be fire; (2) that when the soul is reunited to the body, 
that pain will torture both soul and body. 


1. The principal pain of sense of the damned soul will he fire 
It is an article of faith that the justice of God will hurl impenitent 
sinners into the abyss and condemn them to the fire of hell. 

“They [the angels] shall cast them into the furnace of fire.” (Matth. 


xiii, 50) 

“Fire shall devour them.” 


(Ps. xx, 20) 


128 


HELL 


“Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be 
cut down and cast into the fire.” (Luke iii, 9) 

“The chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matth. iii, 12) 

“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into 
the pool of fire.” (Apoc. xx, 15) 

And this fire is a real fire, which will act for all eternity on the 
souls and bodies of the damned. 

“They are tortured in incomprehensible but various ways.” (S. 
Aug.) 

From the testimony of the Holy Scriptures we must conclude that 
this fire will have infinitely more force and activity than our earthly 
fire, and that the pain caused by an ordinary fire is nothing in com¬ 
parison with that which will be inflicted by the fire of hell. 

“This fire will not be like that of our hearths.” (S. Aug.) 

“Fire and brimstone and storms of winds shall be the portion of 
their cup.” (Ps. x, 7) 

“Thou art changed to be cruel towards me, and in the hardness of Thy 
hand Thou art against me.” (Job xxx, 21) 

“Burning coals shall be upon them.” (Ps. cxxxix, 11) 

“I have trampled on them in My indignation, and have trodden 
them down in My wrath.” (Is. lxiii, 3) 

“If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, 
and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the 
fire, and he burneth.” (John xv, 6) 

“The greatest pains a man can suffer [in this life], when compared 
with the fire of hell, are not merely light, they are nothing.” (S. Aug.) 

“They shall suffer all torments in one fire.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. When body and soul are reunited, this pain will torture both 

This is why the saints call hell the treasury of the wrath of God: 
“Thou treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath.” 
(Rom. ii, 5). All the powers of the soul of the damned will be 
tormented: the memory, by the recollection of crimes; the under¬ 
standing, by the ever-present thought of an evil always present ; the 
will, by a keen and bitter regret, produced by the eternal loss; there 
will be a worm of conscience that will never die, and a fire that will 
never be extinguished. 

“Their worm dieth not and their fire is not extinguished.” (Mark 
ix, 45) 

In the body each member will have its punishment: the eyes, the 
mouth, the nose, the hands. But how can these horrible tortures be 
explained? To give expression to the agony he experienced, the rich 


ETERNITY OF HELL 


129 

man in hell allowed these words only to escape from him: “I am 
tormented in this flame.” (Luke xvi, 24) 

Let us open our eyes to the sad gloom of these flames and behold the 
evil with which the sinner is threatened. O sinners, if the fear of 
such a punishment does not touch you, and cause you to give up sin, 
I have only one question to put to you with the prophet: “Which of 
you can dwell with devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with ever¬ 
lasting burnings?” (Is. xxxiii, 14) 

Will it be you, sensual man, who cannot now suffer the least in¬ 
convenience? Will it be you, voluptuous woman, who think of noth¬ 
ing but a life of ease and pleasure ? 

“And instead of a sweet smell, there shall be stench.” (Is. iii, 24) 

“Their wine is the gall of dragons.” (Deut. xxxii, 33) 

“While the soul lasts, the memory also will last; but what kind 
of memory ? Foul with sins, horrible with crimes, swollen with vanity, 
pricked by contempt and neglect.” (S. Bern.) 

“According to the multitude of his devices, so also shall he suffer.” 
(Job xx, 18) 

“I will heap evils upon them, and will spend my arrows among 
them.” (Deut. xxxii, 24) 

“They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them.” (Ps. 
xlviii, 15) 

“Employ the sword, fire, and wild beasts; still these are but shadows 
compared to the torments [of hell].” (S. Chrys.) 

“The punishment is inflicted according to the degree of guilt; and 
each one of the damned in hell will be tortured by fire in proportion 
to the measure of his crime.” (S. Greg.) 

HI. THE DAMNED WILL BE TORMENTED FOREVER 

How great soever the pains of the damned might be, they would suf¬ 
fer patiently if these pains were one day to end. 

“Is there any one who will think that the abyss is, as it were, draw¬ 
ing to an end?” (S. Greg.) 

“[If so] you err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of 
God.” (Matth. xxii, 29) 

“The chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matth. iii, 12) 

“They shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Apoc. 
xx, 10) 

But does a sin that has lasted only a moment, deserve eternal pun¬ 
ishment? . . . Yes, it is indeed just that a sinner who dies impenitent 
and with affection for sin in his soul, should be eternally punished, be¬ 
cause as long as sin exists it deserves to be punished; but it always 


130 


HELL 


exists in the will of the damned; their malice does not change, their 
obstinacy remains inflexible: their punishment will be eternal. 

“An evil disposition is justly punished, even though the effect does 
not follow. When, therefore, a man dies in sin, he shows that he 
would always wish to sin if he had lived; therefore he ceases, not to 
sin, but to live.” (S. Aug.) 

In their despair the damned desire to be annihilated, but their 
desire is vain: 

“They shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them.” (Apoc. 
ix, 6) 

“To the wretched creatures death becomes undying, the end becomes 
endless, the failing becomes unfailing; because death is always living, 
and the end is always beginning, and the failing knows not how to 
fail.” (S. Aug.) 

“O death! how sweet thou wouldst be to those to whom thou hast 
been so bitter! they who have always hated thee, desire thee; for they 
cry out: O death! come, kill us; O death! destroy us.” (S. Aug.) 

“Grief lasts to afflict; nature endures to suffer.” (S. Aug.) 

“Each crime will be measured, not by the length of time, but by the 
magnitude of the iniquity.” (S. Aug.) 

“These shall go into everlasting punishment.” (Matth. xxv, 46) 

“Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction.” (2 Thess. 
i. 9 ) 

“He will give fire and worms into their flesh, that they may burn, and 
may feel for ever.” (Judith xvi, 21) 

“A fire is kindled in My wrath, and shall burn even in the lowest 
hell.” (Deut. xxxii, 22) 

“They shall be in sorrow, and their memory shall perish.” (Wis. 
iv, 19) 

“The smoke shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it 
shall lie waste.” (Is. xxxiv, 10) 

“Thy sorrow is incurable: for the multitude of thy iniquity and for 
thy hardened sins I have done these things to thee.” (Jer. xxx, 15) 

“Why is my sorrow become perpetual, and my wound desperate 
so as to refuse to be healed?” (Jer. xv, 18) 

“God spared not the angels that sinned; but delivered them, drawn 
down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments.” (2 
Pet. ii, 4) 

It is terrible to hear these things, but how much more terrible 
will it be for those who shall experience them! To suffer all and at 
each moment! to suffer all and for ever! in each one of his evils to 
feel the whole weight of eternity! This is for the damned an excess 
of woe that cannot be expressed. 


ETERNITY OF HELL 


131 

“I am terrified by fear; I would make you secure if I became secure 
myself; I fear the eternal fire.” (S. Aug.) 

“My whole being trembles at the remembrance of that region, all 
my bones are out of joint.” (S. Bern.) 

“You fear prayers and fasting, but these are light to him who medi¬ 
tates on the pains of hell.” (S. Bern.) For 

“The pains of hell are intolerable in their rigor, endless in their 
eternity.” (S. Bonav.) 

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” 
(Heb. x, 31) 

“No one who keeps hell before his eyes will fall into it; no one 
who despises it shall escape it.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Descend into hell while you live, that you may not descend into it 
when you die.” (S. Bern.) 

“He who does not wake up at the sound of this dread thunder is 
not asleep, he is dead.” (S. Aug.) 

Yes, sinners if the fear of hell does not convert you, there is nothing 
that can convert you. 

Will you dare to say: “No man hath been known to have returned 
from hell?” (Wis. ii, 1) 

But, ye blind! “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither 
will they believe if one rise again from the dead.” (Luke xvi, 31) 

Will you dare to doubt the existence of hell? You are then an in¬ 
fidel, you have renounced the faith. . . . You doubt, but if you were 
wise, should not this doubt alone be sufficient to prevent you from 
exposing yourself to torments so frightful ? 

But perhaps you will say: I shall not be damned alone, I shall at 
least have the consolation of being with others. ... Ah! poor wretch, 
is it thus you reason on the sad issues of this life? If you were in 
danger of being drowned, would it be a great consolation to you to 
have companions in misfortune? 

“The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed.” (Lam. iii, 22) 

Be grateful then and do penance. 


Divisions 

I 

The unhappy state of the damned. 

1. The past fills them with the most bitter regrets: 
i°. At the thoughts of the goods of which they have made so crimi¬ 
nal a use; 



132 


HELL 


2°. At the sight of the evils they have committed. 

2. The present overwhelms them with a most bitter grief. They en¬ 
dure a two-fold pain: 

i°. Separation from God, 

2°. Punishment of fire. 

3. The future fills them with the most frightful despair; for 

i°. They have no longer any hope of ever obtaining any grace by 
their prayers; 

2 0 . They have no longer any hope of appeasing the anger of God 
by penance; 

3 0 . They have no longer any hope of paying the debt due to God’s 
justice on account of their sins, or even of diminishing that debt by 
their sufferings. 


II 

1. The sinner in hell is separated from God: what a loss! 

2. The sinner in hell is overwhelmed by evils of every kind: what a 
punishment! 

3. The sinner in hell eternally suffers: what a duration! 

III 

1. Not to think of hell is strange blindness in a Christian. 

2. Not to make every effort to avoid it, is the greatest folly. 

IV 

1. “Depart from Me”: first pain of the damned; 

2. “into fire”: second pain of the damned; 

3. “eternal”: third pain of the damned. 


XXII 


PURGATORY 

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may 
be loosed from their sins.” (2 Mach, xii, 46) 

The Church, seeing that we too easily forget the dead, invites us to 
unite our suffrages, prayers, and good works with hers, for the souls 
in Purgatory. 

In order to excite our compassion in favor of these suffering 
souls, she lets us hear their sad cry: 

‘‘Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you, my friends/’ 
(Job xix, 21) 

The custom of praying for the dead is authorized by the Holy Scrip¬ 
tures,— a clear proof that there is a Purgatory. We should pray for 
the dead; but it is not for those who are in Heaven that we should 
pray; neither is it for those who are in hell. Out of hell there is no 
redemption. It is for the souls in Purgatory that the Church asks our 
prayers. Let us consider: I. The motives which should induce us 
to assist the poor souls in Purgatory; II. The means of assisting them. 

I. MOTIVES WHICH SHOULD INDUCE US TO ASSIST THE SOULS 
IN PURGATORY 

i. The interests of God; 2. the interests of these souls; 3. our own 
interests. 

1. The Interests of God 

Who are they that suffer in Purgatory? They are those who have 
not yet done full penance for their mortal sins already forgiven and 
pardoned; they are those who have died in a state of venial sin. They 
are therefore, just souls who suffer in Purgatory. And what do they 
suffer ? Abode of grief, pool of fire, lay yourself open to our sight! 
Alas' What do I see there? What a night of frightful darkness! 
The interests of God urge us to assist these souls; He punishes them 
only with regret; in delivering them by our good works we further 
the inclinations of His mercy; we procure His glory, and in a certain 
sense, we do Him a great service. 

God said to Moses: “Let Me alone, that my wrath may be kindled 

133 


134 


PURGATORY 


against them.” (Exod. xxxii, io). He no longer speaks thus; He 
now asks us to place a barrier to His vengeance: 

“O torments of mercy! God punishes and loves.” (S. Leo.) 

In God there are two kinds of glory: an essential glory (The in¬ 
infinite in all things can neither be increased nor diminished” William 
of Paris), and an accidental glory, which He may either receive or not 
receive. He receives this glory from creatures when they so act as to 
make Him better known, loved, adored. “Hallowed be Thy name; 
Thy kingdom come.” We procure this glory for Him also by assisting 
the souls in Purgatory. 

It is of this accidental glory that the sacred writer speaks: 

“Declare His glory among the gentiles, His wonders among all peo¬ 
ple. For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised. . . . Give 
to the Lord glory to His name, bring up sacrifice, and come ye in His 
sight.” (i Paral. xvi, 24, 25, 29). Thus, then, the good that we do 
to our brethren redounds to the glory of God; we rescue them from 
His justice, which He exercises with regret, we restore them to His 
love, which He suspended with pain. 

2. The Interests of These Souls 

The interests of these souls who are separated from God, who long 
for Him with an ardent desire, who moreover suffer the pain of sense. 
Alas! they are plunged into that dark night in which they can no 
longer work; Heaven is deaf to their cry; like the paralytic in the 
Gospel, they are waiting for some helping hand to deliver them. We 
owe them that duty, in virtue of charity towards all, in virtue of 
gratitude towards some,—our benefactors, friends,—in justice towards 
those who are in Purgatory through our fault;—three motives of 
interest which nature, honor, and religion suggest to us. 

“Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because 
the hand of the Lord hath touched me.” (Job xix, 21) 

“Thou tormentest me wonderfully.” (Job x, 16) 

“Thou art changed to be cruel towards me, and in the hardness of 
Thy hand Thou art against me.” (Job xxx, 21) 

“Fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is; but he him¬ 
self shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” (1 Cor. iii, 13, 15) 

“Remember them that are in bonds.” (Heb. xiii, 3) 

“That fire of purgatory is severer than any pain that can be seen, 
felt, or imagined in this life.” (S. Aug.) 

“Every iniquity, whether great or small, must necessarilv be pun¬ 
ished, either by the sinner himself doing penance, or by God aveng¬ 
ing.” (Id.) 

“Know that after this life those things that will have been neglected 


WHY WE SHOULD ASSIST THE POOR SOULS 135 


here, shall be paid back a hundred-fold in the prison of Purgatory, 
even to the last farthing.” (S. Bern.) 

“Thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing.” 
(Matth. v, 26) 

“There shall not enter into it [Heaven] anything defiled.” (Apoc. 
xxi, 27) 

And those who suffer are your relations, your friends, children of the 
same Church as you, and they suffer, perhaps, because of you. Hus¬ 
band, do you not hear the mournful cry of your faithful wife? Re¬ 
member your last farewell, your last words. Young man, young 
woman, do you not hear the voice of the tender mother who took such 
care of you in your childhood, who had for you so great a love? Do 
you not hear the voice of that kind father who is suffering,—suffering, 
perhaps, because he was more anxious to form your mind according 
to the maxims of this world than to regulate your manners and con¬ 
duct according to the law of God? Can you abandon them? 

“Oh! my brethren, what bitter cruelty!” (S. Aug.) 

“Who will grant me this, that Thou mayst protect me in hell?” 
(Job xiv, 13) 

“Why do you persecute me as God, and glut yourselves with my 
flesh?” (Job xix, 22) 

“O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sor¬ 
row like to my sorrow?” (Lam. i, 12) 

“And they that passed by have not said: The blessing of the Lord 
be upon you.” (Ps. cxxviii, 8) 

They cry out to us: 

“I beseech thee that I may see the face of the king.” (2 Kings 
xiv, 32) 

“Who would grant me a hearer, that the Almighty may hear my 

desire?” (Job xxxi, 35) ^ . 

“I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there 
was none; and for one that would comfort me, and I found none.” 
(Ps. lxviii, 21) 

“I suffer violence, answer thou for me. (Is. xxxvm, 14) 


3. Our Own Interests 

(1) Because God will treat us as we shall have treated others; (2) 
because the souls delivered from Purgatory by our prayers and good 
works, will pray for us. 

(1) “As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you 
did it to Me.” (Matth. xxv, 40) 


136 PURGATORY 

“In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again.” 
(Mark iv, 24) 

(2) “Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when 
you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.” (Luke 
xvi, 9) 

“We have passed through fire and water, and Thou hast brought us 
out into a refreshment.” (Ps. lxv, 12) 

These souls will never be like that officer of Pharaoh who forgot 
Joseph. 

“Only remember me ... to put Pharaoh in mind to take me out of 
this prison. . . . But the chief butler, when things prospered with 
him, forgot his interpreter.” (Gen. xl, 14, 23) 

“May the Lord deal mercifully with you, as you have dealt with 
the dead.” (Ruth i, 8) 

“Judgment without mercy to him that hath not done mercy.” (Jas. 

13) 

You have forgotten the dead, you will be forgotten in your turn. 

“Thy justice [shall be] in the land of forgetfulness.” (Ps. lxxxvii, 
I3) 

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou, O Tyre, shalt be 
forgotten, seventy years.” (Is. xxiii, 15) 

“I pray for the dead, that when they enter into eternal glory, they 
may not neglect to pray for me.” (S. Aug.) 

“Thou wicked servant, shouldst not thou have compassion on thy 
fellow-servant?” (Matth. xviii, 32, 33) 

“If thou shalt say thou art not able to suffer much, how then wilt 
thou endure the fire of purgatory?” ( Imit ., B. 3, C. 12) 

“It is better now to purge away our sins and root out vices, than 
to reserve them to be purged hereafter.” (Imit., B. 1, C. 24) 

“We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are 
asleep, that you be not sorrowful even as others who have no hope.” 
(1 Thess. iv, 12) 

“The most true custom of the Scriptures says that they are sleeping, 
so that when we know they are sleeping we may hope they will wake 
up. Whence also the Psalmist sings: “Shall he that sleepeth rise 
again no more?” (S. Aug.) 


II. MEANS OF ASSISTING THE POOR SOULS 

1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; 2. Prayer, fasting, alms and 
other good works; 3. Indulgences that can be applied to them, and that 
we can gain so easily. 

“He [Judas] sent twelve drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sac- 


MEANS OF ASSISTING THE POOR SOULS 


137 


rifices to be offered for the sins of the dead.” (2 Mach, xii, 43) 

“The universal Church observes the tradition of the Fathers by pray¬ 
ing in the Holy Sacrifice for those who died in the communion of 
the Body and Blood of Christ, and also by offering the Sacrifice for 
them.” (S. Aug.) 

S. Monica said to S. Augustine: “This only I ask of you, to re¬ 
member me at the altar of the Lord.” 

Her prayer was heard, “when the Sacrifice was offered for her 
while the body was yet unburied.” (S. Aug., Confess.) 

“Beyond doubt the dead are assisted by the prayers of holy Church, 
by the salutary Sacrifice, and by the alms given for their souls; and 
God deals more mercifully with them than their sins deserve. . . . 
Those oblations, prayers, and alms that help the souls of the dead.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“We offer prayers for the dead on the anniversary day.” (Tert.) 

“We must help the dead, not by tears, but by prayers, alms, and 
oblations.” (S. Chrys.) 

“This tradition has come down from the first disciples of Christ.” 
(S. Greg. Naz.) 

“It was decreed by the Apostles that a commemoration of the dead 
should be made in the tremendous mysteries.” (S. Chrys.) 

“We believe that the souls detained in Purgatory are assisted by the 
suffrages of the faithful, above all by the most acceptable Sacrifice of 
the altar.” (Council of Trent) 

Forgotten soul, “who shall heal thee?” (Lam. ii, 13) 

There will be a great display at the funeral, yet: 

“Pomp and a grand procession to the grave may give some comfort 
to the living, but cannot assist the dead.” (S. Aug.) 

“Those who weep thus are truly to be wept over.” (S. Bern.) 

“Those who are lying in torments cry out daily; and there are very 
few who answer.” (S. Bern.) 

And even the heirs who possess their property, forget them. 

“They drink wine in bowls, and are not concerned for the affliction 
of Joseph.” (Amos vi, 6) 

These souls lament in vain, as did Joseph. Their heirs, their 
brethren, are insensible. 

“If one member suffer anything, all the members suffer with it. 
(1 Cor. xii, 26) 

“When the dead man is at rest, let his remembrance rest, and com- 
fort him in the departing of his spirit.” (Eccli. xxxviii, 24) 

“Sweet Jesus, give them eternal rest. Eternal rest give to them, 
O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.” 



138 


PURGATORY 


Divisions 

I 

1. Not to assist the souls in Purgatory because one is not convinced 
that they suffer there, nor even that there is a Purgatory, is conduct 
as devoid of reason as it is full of error. 

2. To be convinced that the souls in Purgatory suffer, and yet not 
to help them, is neglect as criminal as it is opposed to affliction and 
humanity. 

3. To desire to assist the souls in Purgatory, and for that purpose to 
employ only inefficacious means, is a folly as common as it is de¬ 
plorable among Christians. 


II 

1. Truth of the doctrine of Purgatory. 

2. Who are those that suffer in Purgatory? Their sufferings, the 
greatest of which is a deprivation of God. 

3. How long shall a soul suffer in Purgatory? 

4. Consolation of the souls in Purgatory; it is their love for God 
and the certainty that they will one day possess him. 

III 

1. The souls in Purgatory can be relieved: 

(1) by the Sacrifice of the Mass; 

(2) by the prayers of the faithful; 

(3) by Holy Communion; 

(4) by all kinds of good works, alms, etc. 

2. Motives for relieving them: 

(1) justice; 

(2) charity, 

(3) compassion, 

(4) gratitude, 

(5) our own interest. 


XXIII 


HEAVEN AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS 

“I go to prepare a place for you.” (John xiv, 2) 

Heaven, which was closed when the first sin was committed in the 
Garden of Eden, is now open to all men. Jesus Christ went to pre¬ 
pare a place for us there. He invites us to follow Him. Consider: 
I. How great is the happiness of Heaven; II. What we must do to 
gain it. 

“I dispose to you, as My Father hath disposed to Me, a kingdom.” 
(Luke xxii, 29) 

I. HOW GREAT IS THE HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN 

The strongest desire in the heart of man is the desire for happiness. 
But there is no real happiness in this world. 

“Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.” (Eccle. i, 2) 

“False happiness, real misery, so much the more deserving of tears 
the less it is grieved over.” (S. Aug.) 

If you seek happiness, look for it where it is. You search for it 
on earth; it is not there: the riches there are perishable, the pleasures 
transitory, the honors false and imaginary. Look for it, but only in 
Heaven. 

“I shall be satisfied when Thy glory shall appear.” (Ps. xvi, 15) 

“Thou hast made us, O Lord, for Thyself, and our heart is restless 
until it reposes in Thee.” (S. Aug.) 

“I saw in all things vanity and vexation.” (Eccle. ii, 11) 

“The Heart of man is of so great a dignity that the Supreme Good 
alone can satisfy it.” (S. Aug.) 

We shall find in Heaven, (1) imperishable riches, (2) everlasting 
pleasures, (3) real and solid honors. 

1. Imperishable Riches 

But let us take care not to form any worldly idea of the happiness 
of the saints, nor to extend concupiscence even into Heaven. The 
riches which the blessed enjoy in the house of the Lord are not of that 
nature; they are infinitely above those of earth. 

“The eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into 

139 


140 


HEAVEN AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS 


the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those that love 
Him.” (i Cor. ii, 9) 

“What God prepares for those that love Him, is not understood by 
faith, is not tasted by hope, nor taken hold of by charity; it surpasses 
all desires.” (S. Aug.) 

“Then shalt thou see and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and 
be enlarged.” (Is. lx, 5) 

“Good measure, and pressed down and shaken together and running 
over shall they gLe into your bosom.” (Luke vi, 38) 

“We shall be filled with the good things of thy house.” (Ps. lxiv, 5) 

“Make to yourselves ... a treasure in heaven which faileth not.” 
(Luke xii, 33) 

Neither the envy of men nor that of the devils shall be able to rob 
you of that treasure. 

“There shall be no more an anathema, but Jerusalem shall sit secure.” 
(Zach. xiv, n) 

The reason for this is that the soul shall possess God, who is the 
sovereign Good and the Source of every good, in so perfect a manner 
that it can never lose Him; it will be united to him so intimately by 
love and the beatific vision, that it shall become, as it were, divine. 

“For when this ineffable joy has been received, the human mind, in 
a certain manner, disappears and becomes divine.” (S. Aug.) 

“Your joy no man shall take from you.” (John xvi, 24) 

“O my people, they that call thee blessed, the same deceive thee.” 
(Is. iii, 12) 

“The things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which 
are not seen, are eternal.” (2 Cor. iv, 18) 

2. Everlasting Pleasures 

“Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” 
(Apoc. xix, 9) 

“[For] they shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house; and 
Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure.” (Ps. 
xxxv, 9) 

To understand the thought of the prophet, we must remark that if all 
creatures together compared to God are, according to the Scriptures, 
only as a drop of water compared to the vast ocean, all the consolation 
they can give us is at most only a small part of that drop which, enter¬ 
ing into the heart of man, leaves it as empty as it was before. But 
when God enters into the soul in the manner in which He will enter by 
His glory, it is no longer a drop, it is a flood, a torrent of delights, 
which enlarges, extends and elevates the heart of man infinitely beyond 
the limits of his nature, in order that he may be able to receive that 


HOW GREAT IS THE HAPPINESS OF HEAVEN 141 


abundance of joy with which the Lord will take pleasure in inebriating 
him. ‘‘They shall be inebriated, etc.” (Ibid.) 

That which shall constitute the perfection of this happiness is that 
it shall be eternal. . . . Then that cry of the lovers of this world will 
be no longer heard: “Will this pleasure last forever?” 

“They shall rejoice forever.” (Ps. v, 12) 

“The God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever.” 
(Ps. lxxii, 26) 

“All goods in one Good.” (S. Ambr.) 

3. Real and Solid Honors 
In this life the saints are generally despised. 

“[But] though in the sight of men they suffer torments, their hope is 
full of immortality.” (Wis. iii, 4) 

Sinners, you have persecuted them, but you have made them weep 
and suffer in this life; but God will dry their tears: 

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Apoc. vii, 17) 
You have censured them, calumniated them, ridiculed them; you 
have made them pass for fools when they mortified themselves. 

“Then shall every man have praise from God.” (1 Cor. iv, 5) 
“Then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that 
have afflicted them.” (Wis. v, 1) 

“Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable: their prin¬ 
cipality is exceedingly strengthened.” (Ps. cxxxviii, 17) 

“Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.” 
(Acts xiv, 21) 

“The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory to come.” (Rom. viii, 18) 

The Queen of Sheba, astonished at the wisdom of Solomon, and at 
the magnificence of his house, cried out: “Thou hast exceeded thy 
fame with thy virtues. Happy are thy men and happy are thy serv¬ 
ants, who stand always before thee.” (2 Paralip. ix, 6). In like man¬ 
ner, all that can be said of Heaven falls infinitely short of what it 
really is. 

“You shall receive a never fading crown of glory.” (1 Pet. v, 4) 
“The reward of the saints is so great that it cannot be measured, so 
abundant that it cannot be limited, so precious that it cannot be valued.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“What could even God give better than Himself.” (Id.) 

“We are the children of saints, and look for that life which God will 
give to those that never change their faith in Him.” (Tob. ii, 18) 
“Only there our Lord is magnificent.” (Is. xxxiii, 21) 

Since Heaven is something so great, let us work zealously to merit it. 


142 


HEAVEN AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS 


Let us not resemble those Jews who had nothing but contempt for the 
Land of Promise, which was a figure of the abode of the saints. 
“They set at nought the desirable land/’ (Ps. cv, 24) 

“Never cease to yearn for that which you shall possess forever.” 
(S. Aug.) 


II. WHAT WE MUST DO TO GAIN HEAVEN 

i. We must merit the riches of Heaven by detachment from those 
of earth; 2. we must merit heavenly joy by mortifying the senses; 3. 
we must merit honors in Heaven by humiliations on earth. 

1. We must Merit the Riches of Heaven by Detachment from 

those of Earth 

Each one must deny himself. To deny ourselves is to detach our¬ 
selves from everything that would flatter the senses in this life. It is 
to resist the vicious inclinations and the unlawful affection which we 
have for things of earth, and to fix our hearts on those of Heaven, 
where alone our treasure is. 

“A heavenly treasure must be chosen by us, that we may have our 
heart in it.” (S. Basil) 

This detachment which God demands of us in order to give us 
heavenly riches, is nothing else than the poverty of mind and heart of 
which the Gospel speaks. It is not by exterior goods that God dis¬ 
tinguishes the poor from the rich; it is by the heart only that He 
judges them. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” 

“God questions the rich and the poor regarding their heart, not about 
their coffers or their houses. For what would it profit you to be 
destitute of riches, if you are inflamed by cupidity?” (S. Aug.) 

“[Therefore] if riches abound, set not your heart upon them.” (Ps. 
lxi, 11) 

“[If thou art not wealthy] labor not to be rich, but set bounds to 
thy prudence.” (Prov. xxiii, 4) 

“Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries 
of life: lest perhaps being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say: 
who is the Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal and 
forswear the name of God.” (Prov. xxx, 8, 9) 

“Be not solicitous for to-morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous 
for itself.” (Matth. vi, 34) 

2. We must Merit Heavenly Joys by Mortifying the Senses and 

Carrying our Cross Every Day 

“Let him take up his cross daily.” That is to say, we must mortify 
our passions unceasingly, so that we may enjoy heavenly pleasures. 


WHAT WE MUST DO TO GAIN HEAVEN 


143 

Carefully remark the word “daily.” But let not this frighten us, the 
reward is worth the labor. 

“We faint not; but though our outward man is corrupted, yet the 
inward man is renewed day by day. For that which is at present 
momentary and light, of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure 
exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” (2 Cor. iv, 16, 17) 

Meditate seriously on these words. What have the saints done? 

“The saints by faith conquered kingdoms.” (Heb. xi, 33) 

We are not required to undergo the same ordeals, nor are we at 
present exposed to the persecutions of tyrants. We must, however, toil 
and suffer in order to share in the happiness of the saints. If we wish 
to reap the same harvest as they reaped, we must sow what they sowed. 

“Going they went and wept, casting their seeds. But coming they 
shall come with joyfulness carrying their sheaves.” (Ps. cxxv, 6, 7) 

. “We have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come.” 
(Heb. xiii, 14) 

“I am straitened, . . . having a desire to be dissolved and to be 
with Christ.” (Phil, i, 23) 

“If we meditate seriously on those things that are promised to us in 
Heaven, all the goods of this world become vile.” (S. Greg.) 

“No labor can seem hard, no time long, by which eternal glory is 
gained.” (S. Jerome) 

“Blessed are they that mourn. . . . Blessed are they that suffer per¬ 
secution for justice sake.” (Matth. v, 5, 10) 

“Wo to you that now laugh, for you shall mourn and weep. Wo to 
you that are filled, for you shall hunger.” (Luke vi, 25) 

3. We must Merit Honors in Heaven by Humiliations on Earth 

We must follow Jesus Christ: “Let him follow Me.” No one can 
be saved if he does not labor to render himself conformable to the 
divine Model of all the elect. 

“Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink?” (Matth. xx, 22) 

What is that chalice? Reproaches, outrages, mockery, etc. “Can 
you drink it?” It is a question of drinking out of this chalice, of tak¬ 
ing part in it, if you wish to gain admission into the kingdom of 
Heaven. Be not deceived as to this, it is on this condition only that 
you will reign with Jesus Christ. 

“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it 
away.” (Matth. xi, 12) 

In this world things are not ordinarily in their proper place. The 
just man is despised; the sinner is honored, and it is often difficult to 
distinguish the predestined from the reprobate. What is the place of 
the reprobate? It is a place of disorder, of confusion, it is hell. Judas, 


144 


HEAVEN AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS 


instead of following Jesus Christ, betrayed Him; he followed the 
demon; and so 

“He went to his own place.” (Acts i, 25) 

But the place of the predestined is in Heaven. 

“His place is in peace.” (Ps. lxxv, 3) 

See that man addicted to vice, who everywhere leaves traces of his 
impure and debauched life: he is not in his place. What is the place 
that is due to him ? It is a pool of fire. 

“They shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and 
brimstone.” (Apoc. xxi, 8) 

See that miser, that deceitful man,—they are not in their place. But 
they shall go to it at death. “He went to his own place.” (Acts i, 25) 
On the other hand, see the man who is patient like Job, that poor 
man who was abandoned by all. He is not now in his proper place; 
but at death it will be said of him: “His place is in peace.” (Ps. 
lxxv, 3) 

“Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.” 
(Matth. v, 12) 

[But] “he that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned, except he 
strive lawfully.” (2 Tim. ii, 5) 

“To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with Me in My 
throne.” (Apoc. iii, 21) 

“Seek the things that are above.” (Col. iii, 1) 

“In my Father’s house there are many mansions.” (John xiv, 2) 
“Let us hasten, therefore, to enter into that rest.” (Heb. iv, 11) 
Let us hasten, let us not lose time, because the night is coming when 
we can no longer do anything. 

“I saw a great multitude whom no man could number.” (Apoc. 
vii, 9) 

It depends on ourselves alone, whether we shall be of the number of 
those saints. 

“Enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matth. xxv, 23) 

“Possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world.” (Matth. xxv, 34) 

“Strive to enter by the narrow gate.” (Luke xiii, 24) 

“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matth. 
xix, 17) 

“How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth 
and fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 1) 

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I 
may dwell in the house of the Lord.” (Ps. xxvi, 4) 

“We shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. iv, 16) 



WHAT WE MUST DO TO GAIN HEAVEN 


145 


Divisions 

I 

1. The reward of the saints in Heaven is certain, while the rewards 
of this world are uncertain. 

2. The reward of the saints is abundant, while the rewards of this 
world are empty and defective. 

3. The reward of the saints is everlasting, while the rewards of this 
world wear away and perish. 

II 

1. The happiness of Heaven is infinite. 

2. What must we do to merit it? 

III 

1. Heaven is a kingdom, where all imaginable riches, glory, and joys 
are found. “Glory and riches in His house.” 

2. It is a kingdom of peace that can never be altered by any sorrow. 

3. It is an eternal kingdom that will never be subject to the revolu¬ 
tions of the earth: “His kingdom will never have an end.” 

We shall have a right to it only in as far as we shall have labored 
to acquire sanctity, because Heaven is a great reward. 

IV 

There are some who say they do not aspire to the first places, who 
under this pretext do nothing at all, and who think that it is sufficient 
to be a Christian in order to be saved. We shall undeceive them by 
making them see: 

1. The combats and labors of our Lord; 

2. The combats, labors, and penances of the saints. 

V 

This language: Provided I go to heaven it matters little what place 
I occupy there, is 

1. Injurious to God; 

2. Injurious to the true interests of souls; 

3. A danger to salvation. 

VI 

The happiness of the saints consists in seeing God, and in seeing 
themselves in God. They see what God is in Himself; they see what 
God has done for them outside of Himself. 


XXIV 


THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD IN GENERAL 

“Good Master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting? . . . 

If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matth. xix, 16, 17) 

There is no one among you who does not desire to be saved. This 
desire should excite in your hearts an earnest wish, first of all to know, 
and then to practise, what is necessary in order to gain eternal life. 
You were baptized, you have the faith; but that is not enough; you 
must keep the commandments; you must avoid evil and do good. 
Faith without good works is a dead faith. Consider: I. The obliga¬ 
tion of being instructed in the commandments; II. What we must do 
to fulfil that obligation. 

I. THE OBLIGATION OF BEING INSTRUCTED IN THE 
COMMANDMENTS 

i. A Christian should be able to repeat the Commandments from 
memory; 2. he should understand their meaning; 3. he should carry 
them in his heart. 

1. A Christian Should be Able to Repeat the Commandments 

God, having given us His law, commands us to be faithful to it in 
every particular. “Thou hast commanded Thy commandments to be 
kept most diligently.” (Ps. cxviii, 4) He requires, therefore, that we 
should be instructed in them. In order to facilitate the gaining of this 
knowledge, and to take away every excuse for our ignorance, He has 
imposed on priests a rigorous duty of explaining the law: “Going, 
teach ye all nations.” (Matth. xxviii, 19) 

And yet there are found Christians who cannot repeat the Command¬ 
ments from memory! How many young people, and perhaps some 
who are grown up, would find it difficult to recite them! Are they in¬ 
capable of learning them? Ah! many among them learn sin and in¬ 
iquity only too easily: oaths, blasphemies, immodest songs and dis¬ 
courses. They are then ignorant of this indispensable knowledge sim¬ 
ply because they do not wish to learn the Commandments. 

“Who have said to God: Depart from us, we desire not the knowl¬ 
edge of Thy ways.” (Job xxi, 14) 

146 


THE OBLIGATION OF BEING INSTRUCTED 


H7 


2. The Christian Ought to Understand the Meaning of the 
C ommandments 

Another fault much more common is to know the commandments 
materially only, i. e., without understanding their meaning. Yet it is 
easy to see that no one can comply with the law without knowing and 
understanding it? 

'‘Man . . . did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, 
and is become like to them.” (Ps. xlviii, 13) 

3. The Christian Ought to Carry the Commandments in his Heart 

We should not only know and understand the Commandments, we 
should also carry them in our heart, and meditate on them,—that is to 
say, we should often think of them, of their excellence, their wisdom, 
the obligations they impose, the advantages they confer; we should re¬ 
flect on the happiness to be found in observing them, and convince our¬ 
selves of the necessity of being faithful to them. 

“These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart.” 
(Deut. vi, 6) 

“I will give My law in their bowels, and I will write it in their 
heart.” (Jer. xxxi, 33) 

It is thus St. Paul wished that the doctrine which he had taught 
should be written, not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God. 

“Ministered by us, and written not with ink, but with the spirit of the 
living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart.” 
(2 Cor. iii, 3) 

That is how a Christian should know the love of God; he should be 
able to repeat it from memory; he should know the meaning of it; he 
should carry it in his heart. 

II. WHAT WE MUST DO IN ORDER TO FULFIL THIS OBLIGATION? 

It is necessary to assist at catechism and instructions. 

Very many people require to be instructed in the Commandments,— 
even many who believe themselves instructed, but who deceive them¬ 
selves in several points. 

Should we not, in an affair of such importance, avail ourselves of 
every means of instruction? 

At the judgment-seat of God ignorance will not serve as an excuse. 

You should have received instruction, . . . you could have done 
so. . . . 

“Who as it were on purpose have revolted from Him and would not 
understand His ways.” (Job xxxiv, 2) 

“He would not understand that he might do well.” (Ps. xxxv, 4) 


148 


THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD 


“I did it ignorantly in unbelief,” said St. Paul (1 Tim. i, 13), and 
nevertheless, he was not excusable, because he should have examined 
the doctrine of Jesus Christ carefully and without prejudice. If then a 
person does not know what is commanded or forbidden, because he does 
not study the law of God, because he does not take care to be present 
when that law is explained, his ignorance will not be an excuse for sin. 

“That of which you are invincibly ignorant will not be imputed to 
you as a fault; ignorance is a fault only when you could have acquired 
the knowledge, but neglected to do so.” (S. Aug.) 

“There are those who are without knowledge not only of God, but 
also of themselves, so that they do not know that they have a soul.” 
(S. Bern.) 

“Later they shall be unknown to God, who have been unwilling to 
know God.” (S. Chrys.) 

“My ignorances do not remember.” (Ps. xxiv, 7) 

This is general obligation for all Christians, but it concerns fathers 
and mothers in a special manner. They are obliged to instruct their 
children. It is their interest also. 

“The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls, . . . giving wis¬ 
dom to little ones.” (Ps. xviii, 8) 

The same duty is incumbent on masters and mistresses; it is also 
their interest. . . . 

God Himself is the Author of the law. Is not that a still more 
urgent motive for learning it well? 

When, how and why did God give His law? 

These Commandments were not new: they were already contained 
in the natural law. They are binding on all men, Christians as well 
as Jews. Jesus Christ has renewed them and declared that they are 
the foundation of the holy alliance which He came to establish. More¬ 
over the Commandments are reduced to two, the love of God and the 
love of our neighbor. 

“Master, which is the great commandment of the law? And Jesus 
said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. . . . This is the 
greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments 
dependeth the whole law and the prophets.” (Matth. xxii, 36-39) 

“Love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. xiii, 10) 

“He that loveth his neighbor, hath fulfilled the law.” {Ibid. 8) 

Beseech the Lord to enlighten you in the way of His commandments. 
Say to Him often: “I am Thy servant: give me understanding that 
I may know Thy testimonies.” (Ps. cxviii, 125) 

“Give me understanding, and I will search Thy law; and I will keep 
it with my whole heart.” {Ibid. 34) 


THE OBLIGATION OF BEING INSTRUCTED 


149 


“Behold I have longed after Thy precepts.” (Ibid. 40) 

“I meditated also on Thy commandments which I loved.” (Ibid. 

47) 

“Come ye to Him and be enlightened.” (Ps. xxxiii, 6) 

“Lord, give strength to do what Thou commandest, and command 
what Thou pleasest.” (S. Aug.) 

Faithfully put in practice the lessons you receive, in order that you 
may obtain new lights. 

“Whoever wishes to understand what he hears, let him hasten to 
put in practice what he has already heard.” (S. Greg.) 

“If thou wilt keep the commandments, . . . they shall preserve 
thee.” (Eccli. xv, 16) 


XXV 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 

LOVE OF GOD 

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy 
whole soul, and with thy whole mind/’ (Matth. xxii, 37) 

That, said Jesus Christ, is the first and the greatest of all the Com¬ 
mandments. To love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul, 
and with our whole mind, is the compendium, the perfection, and 
the fulness of the law. God has no need of our love; it is our in¬ 
terest to love Him; and yet He asks for our heart. “I have come 
to cast fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?” 
(Luke xii, 49) ; and yet God is not loved. Let us consider: I. The 
motives of our love for God: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”; 
II. The characteristics of the love of God: “With thy whole heart, 
and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.” 

I. THE MOTIVES OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD 

The heart of man was made to love. “All things are impelled by 
their own weight and seek their place. My love is my weight and by 
it I am borne whithersoever I am borne.” (S. Aug.) 

But alas! man wastes his love upon objects that are unworthy of it, 
and refuses it to Him who alone deserves to be loved. Nevertheless, 
(1) God possesses all the perfections that can render an object sover¬ 
eignly lovable in itself; (2) God has bestowed on us an infinite num¬ 
ber of favors and promises us others still greater. Should we not 
then love Him, i° with a love of benevolence, 2 0 with a love of 
gratitude ? 

1. God Possesses all the Perfections that Can Render an Object 
Sovereignly Lovable in Itself 

How shall I speak to you of the perfections, of the lovability of 
God. The grandest idea we can form of Him is infinitely below 
the reality. He is great, powerful, good, holy, immense, etc., in an 
infinite degree. But if our minds cannot form a true idea of the 

150 


THE MOTIVES OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD 151 

adorable perfections of God, if our tongue cannot describe these per¬ 
fections, our heart can love them. And whom, then, do you love, 
if you do not love God? Can we refuse our love to an object so 
great, so good, so holy, so lovable? 

“On whom the angels desire to look.” (1 Pet. i, 12) 

“O beauty ever ancient and ever new.” (S. Aug.) 

“None is good but one, that is God.” (Mark x, 18) 

“Why is Love not loved?” (S. Aug.) 

Alas! you have daily experience of the imperfections of creatures. 
One is rich, but he is not virtuous; another has power, but no good 
will for you; this one loves you to-day, but will despise you to¬ 
morrow ; that one would like to do you good, but cannot; the elegance 
of one pleases you for a little while, and then fills you with dislike. 
How great, then, is your folly in giving your heart to objects so 
unworthy of it ? What! God alone is worthy of possessing it, and 
He sees in it only indifference, insensibility,—shall I say it? only con¬ 
tempt of His law, gross outrage committed against His infinite 
majesty. Again I ask, whence comes it that you do not love an object 
so worthy of love ? Ah! it is because you do not know Him; you do 
not know the infinite perfections which should render Him so dear to 
you! 

“What is His worship but love of Him?” (S. Aug.) 

“I do not know whether a more magnificent recommendation can 
be made of love, than that made in these words: God is love; 
brief praise, but great;—brief in words, great in meaning.” (S. Aug.) 

“What should we love? That which can be with us for all 
eternity.” (S. Aug.) 

“The cause of our love of God is God Himself.” (S. Bern.) 

2. God has Bestowed on Us an Infinite Number of Favors 

But perhaps you will be moved more by the benefits with which He 
has loaded you, and by those for which He gives you reason to hope. 

If the benefits we have received or hope to receive from any one, 
are just motives for paying to him the tribute of our gratitude, how 
great should be our love for God, from whom we have received so 
many benefits, and hope to receive more ? In order to kindle in your 
hearts that love of gratitude which you owe to God, is it necessary 
to remind you of the innumerable benefits which you have received 
from Him? 

Gifts of nature: life, health, fortune, talents. 

“We know that to them that love God all things work together unto 
good.” (Rom. viii, 28) 

Gifts of grace: not content with having created you, He has re- 


152 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


deemed you from the slavery of the demon. And how? He has 
given you His only Son, the Sacraments, prayer. 

“God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son/’ (John 
iii, 16), “When we were enemies.” (Rom. v, io) 

“Let us, therefore, love God because God first hath loved us.” 
(i John iv, 19) 

“Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon 
us, that we should be called and should be the sons of God.” (1 John 
iib 7 ) 

“O unconquerable power of charity! by which thou hast conquered 
even Him who is unconquerable, when, bound by love, God humbled 
Himself, taking the form of a servant! Hence that intrepid con¬ 
stancy of the faithful, by which, trampling punishments and death 
under foot, they returned to their country through the very jaws of 
death.” (Rich, of S. Victor) 

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. xxxi, 3) 

“He is very ungrateful who, being bound to return love for love, 
refuses to do so.” (S. Aug.) 

Gifts of glory . . . Heaven as reward. 

“If any man love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will 
love him, and We will come to him, and will make our abode with 
him.” (John xiv, 23) 

“If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.” 
(1 Cor. xvi, 22) 

Yes, ungrateful men, you deserve to feel the rigors of God’s 
justice, since you are insensible to those of His love; you are sur¬ 
rounded on all sides by His benefits, and you refuse Him your love, 
which is due to Him by so many titles. 

“He that loveth not abideth in death.” (1 John iii, 14) 

“Will a virgin forget her ornament, or a bride her stomacher? 
but My people hath forgotten Me days without number.” (Jer. 
ii. 3 2 ) 

And yet, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart 
is restless until it reposes in Thee.” (S. Aug.) 

“Turn where you will, and as often as you will, you will find all 
things burdensome; in God alone is peace.” (S. Aug.) 

“All things tell me to love Thee; but they will speak to one who 
is deaf, unless Thou dost otherwise help me.” (S. Aug.) 

“I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength: the Lord is my firmament, 
my refuge, my deliverer.” (Ps. xvii, 2) 

“When God loves, He wishes only to be loved; indeed He loves 
nothing else than to be loved, knowing by love itself the blessed who 
have loved Him.” (S. Bern.) 


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOVE OF GOD 153 


II. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOVE OF GOD 

“The measure of our love for God is to love Him without measure/’ 
(S. Bern.) 

Charity is not like other virtues, which may become defective as 
soon as they fail to keep to a certain medium. But, however great 
the love we may have for God, it will be always infinitely below that 
which He deserves, because the object of that love, being infinite, de¬ 
serves an infinite love. What rule, then, can I give you for fulfilling 
this great commandment? You must love, (1) with your whole 
heart: this love should be in the heart as in its source; (2) with your 
whole strength; this love should be efficacious, and show itself in 
works. 


1. You must Love God with Your Whole Heart 

God wishes to possess our hearts: “Son, give Me thy heart, and 
let thy eyes keep My ways.” (Prov. xxiii, 36). It is He who has 
formed the heart;—has He not a right to it? 

In giving us this commandment, to love Him with our whole heart, 
what does God demand from us? He demands a love of distinction, 
of preference, in virtue of which this heart, esteeming God above 
all things, prefers Him to all else, and is disposed to lose all rather 
than be separated from Him. 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . Neither 
height, nor depth, nor death, nor life, nor any other creature shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Rom. viii, 35, 39) 

You will love God with a love of preference if you are ready to 
sacrifice all for Him, to lose your goods, your health, even your life 
itself, rather than be separated from Him. But if you are attached 
to any object which God forbids you to love, if you choose to offend 
Him rather than deprive yourself of this pleasure, or suffer this in¬ 
sult, this contempt, you do not love God, because love should ban¬ 
ish from your heart everything that could deprive Him of its posses¬ 
sion. God wants to possess your heart, and to possess it wholly: 
“with your whole heart.” He will not allow any division of it. Yet 
He does not forbid us to love His creatures, to love our parents, our 
relatives. He even commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves; 
but this love should have reference to God, who ought to be the 
motive of it. 

“He loves Thee less who shares his love between Thee and some¬ 
thing which he does not love for Thy sake. (S. Aug.). 

“You command me to love You, O Lord God: this I can and 
ought to do.” (S. Cypr.) 


154 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


What are, then, the objects which God forbids you to love? They 
are those the love of which is incompatible with that which you owe 
to Him: those objects of a blind passion that are for you an occa¬ 
sion of sin; those persons with whom you maintain criminal inti¬ 
macies . . . This love which you owe to God should be as strong as 
death, that is to say, just as death separates the soul from the body, 
so the love of God should separate us from forbidden objects. 

“Love is strong as death, jealousy is hard as hell. . . . Many waters 
cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it.” (Cant, viii, 
6 , 7 ) 

“He who loves anything else, cannot love God; his soul is already 
occupied.” (S. Aug.) 

“As the body without the soul is dead, so the soul without the love 
of God will be reputed dead.” (S. Aug.) 

2. You Must Love God with Your Whole Strength 

True love of God does not consist in the sentiments we may have 
regarding His perfections, nor in the words we speak. This love is 
manifested by works alone. 

“Let us love not in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” 
(i John iii, 18) 

This is the mark by which Jesus Christ recognizes those who love 
Him; it is by keeping the Commandments that true love is shown. 

“He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that 
loveth me.” (John xiv, 21) 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (Ibid. 15) 

“They that love Him [the Lord] will keep His way.” (Eccli. ii, 18) 

“If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he 
shall despise it for nothing.” (Cant, viii, 7) 

“If any one love Me he will keep My word, and My Father will 
love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with 
him.” (John xiv, 23) 

“If I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and have not 
charity, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” 
(1 Cor. xiii, 1) 

“A brief commandment is given to you: Love, and do what you 
will.” (S. Aug.) 

“Nothing seems hard, no labor difficult, to those who love God; let 
us also love God and all will seem easy.” (S. Jerome) 

“The love of God is never idle; it engages in great works if it 
exists; if it refuses to work, there is no love.” (S. Greg.) 

In reality, if friendship consists in conformity of will, we cannot 
love God without doing His will. 


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOVE OF GOD 155 


“He who saith that he knoweth Him, and keepeth not His com¬ 
mandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John ii, 4) 

Do you, then, wish to know who is the man that really loves God, 
and whether this love reigns in your hearts also ? The man who loves 
God is the man who fears nothing so much as to displease Him, who 
fulfils his duty to his Creator each day by adoration, prayer, and 
other religious exercises; who never takes the name of the Lord in 
vain, and who employs in His service the Sundays and holydays of 
obligation; who gives to each one what belongs to him; who freely 
pardons injuries,—in a word, the man who observes all the Command¬ 
ments and practises all the virtues, really loves God, because “love is the 
fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. xiii, 10). There is no exception to this 
rule. 

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is 
become guilty of all.” (Jas. ii, 10) 

“He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of 
Me.” (Matth. x, 37) 

“Their heart is divided, now they shall perish.” (Os. x, 2) 

“No man can serve two masters.” (Matth. vi, 24) 

“Say not to me: I love God even more than myself; these are 
words; show your love by your works. If you love Him more than 
yourself, love Him more than money; and then I will believe that you 
love Him more than yourself. But as you do not despise money for 
God’s sake, how can you despise yourself for His sake?” (S. Chrys.) 

He who keeps the Commandments, proves that he loves God. But 
we must remark that charity has its own special object, which is God, 
considered in His infinite perfection; that is to say, that in virtue of 
the first Commandment we are obliged to love God, not only because 
of what He does for us, but also because of what He is in Himself. 

“I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first 
charity. Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen; and 
do penance, and do the first works.” (Apoc. ii, 4, 5) 

“This only take care of with all diligence, that you love the Lord 
your God.” (Jos. xxiii, 11) 

“Love God all thy life, and call upon Him for thy salvation.” 
(Eccli. xiii, 18) 

What are the marks by which we can know whether this love of 
God reigns in our hearts? If we love to speak of Him and to hear 
Him spoken of; to visit Him often in the church and in the persons 
of the poor; if we are careful not to do anything that would dis¬ 
please Him; if we have a great horror of sin; if we strive to fulfil 
His holy will in all things, to procure His glory as much as we can, 
and to prevent others from offending Him, 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


156 

“Charity covereth all sins.” (Prov. x, 12) 

“I love them that love Me.” (Prov. viii, 17) 

“The eyes of God are upon them that love Him.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 15) 
“The Lord keepeth all them that love Him.” (Ps. cxliv, 20) 

“O fire that always burns and is never extinguished, O love that 
always consumes and never grows cold, inflame me, and I shall be 
inflamed; inflame me, I say, and my whole being shall love Thee 
alone.” (S. Aug.) 

“Too late have I loved Thee, O Goodness ever ancient and ever 
new, too late have I known Thee.” (S. Aug.) 

“What am I to Thee that Thou shouldst command me to love Thee, 
and unless I do this, Thou art angry with me, and dost threaten me 
with great afflictions? Woe is me! is the affliction of not loving Thee 
a small thing? True love feels not bitterness, but sweetness. He 
who loves does not consider the labor, and if there is labor, it is 
loved.” (S. Aug.) 

“Receive my remaining years.” (S. Bern.) 


Divisions 

I 

1. All things tell us that nothing deserves our love more than God, 
our Creator, Redeemer, Rewarder. Consider; 

(1) what He has done for us in the order of nature; 

(2) what He has done for us in the order of grace; 

(3) what He will one day do for us in the order of glory. 

What motives for giving Him our hearts! 

2. Three principal marks of divine love which include all the 
others: 

i°. to love God above all things; 

2°. to obey Him in all important matters; 

3°. to be faithful to Him even in small things. 

Love of distinction, love of obedience, love of fidelity. 

II 

Three things that should induce us to love God: 

1. His divine perfections, 

2. His benefits, 

3. His love. 


Reasons why we do not love God: 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOVE OF GOD 157 


1. Our blindness. 

2. Our ingratitude. 


Ill 

1. Nothing is more just than to love God: 

i°. because it is an act of justice to give our whole heart to Him 

who deserves it; 

2°. because God has a right to our love as our Creator, our Bene¬ 
factor, our Preserver; 

3 0 . because He has first loved us, and with a greater love. 

2. Nothing is more advantageous than to love Him: 

i°. because charity constitutes all our merit and glory before God, 
the measure of God’s love for us, the source of our happiness on earth 
and in Heaven; 

2 0 . because our perfection and our sanctity consist in our love for 
God; 

3 0 . because the measure of our charity on earth will be the measure 
of our glory in Heaven. “We must love God for His own sake and 
for our advantage.” (S. Bern.) 


IV 


1. How Jesus loves. 

2. How Jesus wishes to be loved. 

V 

1. We ought to love Jesus Christ. 

2. There is nothing stronger, nothing sweeter nor easier than to 
love Him. 


VI 

God possesses all that is necessary to captivate our love: 

1. He is a Being of infinite beauty. 

2. He is infinite goodness. 


XXVI 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Luke x, 27) 

In the Parable of the Samaritan (Luke x, 30 ff.) Christ shows 
us an example of the love which we should have for our neighbor. 
“Go and do thou in like manner” (v, 37). But, alas! what precept is 
less observed among us to-day! That beautiful fire which Christ 
came to kindle on earth, is almost entirely extinguished by hatred and 
revenge. May I hope to rekindle it in your hearts by making you 
see: I. The obligation of loving our neighbor: “Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor”; II. How we must love him: “As thyself.” 

I. THE OBLIGATION OF LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR 

The law commanding us to love our neighbor, that is to say, all 
mankind, is as old as the world. Christ renewed it and made it per¬ 
fect. That is why He places it in the rank of the first principles of 
His Gospel, and calls it His Commandment. 

“This is My commandment, that you love one another.” (John 
xv, 12) 

“A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one an¬ 
other, as I have loved you.” (John xiii, 34) 

We should love our neighbor, (1) because of his relations with 
God, (2) because of his relations with us. 

1. We Should Love our Neighbor because of his Relations with God 

He is the work and the image of God; he has been redeemed by 
the Blood of Jesus Christ. 

“Let us make man to Our image and likeness.” (Gen. i, 26) 

To refuse to love our neighbor is to refuse to love God, whose 
image he is, and to whom he belongs. 

“He that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love 
God, whom he seeth not.” (1 John iv, 20) 

There is no salvation for those who do not love their neighbor, 
since they transgress one of the greatest Commandments, and since it 

158 


OBLIGATIONS OF LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR 159 


is by the observance of His Commandments that God knows those who 
love Him. In vain would you speak with the tongues of angels, in 
vain would you pass your days in prayer, in vain would you deliver 
your body to the most rigorous fasts . . . 

“If I have not charity it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Cor. xiii, 3) 

“He that loveth not, abideth in death.” (1 John iii, 14) 

“Before all things have a constant charity among yourselves.” 
(1 Pet. iv, 8) 

And say not that this man, this person whom you do not love, does 
not deserve your love, that he is subject to faults that render him un¬ 
worthy of your friendship;—that no one could live with him;—that 
he has offended, insulted you, and harbors bad feelings towards you. 
All that may be true, but that man is not less the image of God; he is 
not less purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is what you 
should see in him. It is not because of his faults or vices that you 
are commanded to love him; it is the image of God, it is God Himself 
you must consider, and you must close your eyes to all else. 

“If God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 
(1 John iv, 11) 

“He who loves God cannot despise Him when God commands him 
to love his neighbor; and he who loves his neighbor with a holy and 
spiritual love, what does he love in him but God Himself?” (S. 
Aug.) 

“The countenance and image of Christ, by which we are known to 
be His, is engraved in us, it is the glory of charity.” (S. Cyril) 

2. We should Love our Neighbor because of his Relations Towards Us 

We can consider man, (a) as he is in himself, (b) as a Christian. 

(a) As he is in himself. We have all the same origin; we have 
all the same nature; we dwell on the same earth. 

“Each man is a neighbor to every other man; long descent must not 
be thought of where the nature is common.” (S. Aug.) 

“He is to be considered a neighbor not because of blood-relationship, 
but because of community of nature.” (Id.) 

“Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us? Why 
then doth every one of us despise his brother?” (Malach. ii, 10) 

Do not think then that because you are rich and your neighbor is 
poor, you are not bound to love him. This man, poor and miserable 
though he may be, is a man as you, he is your fellow-creature; God 
could make him as rich as you are. See yourself then in that man 
whom you despise. . . . ‘Attend to thyself. (S. Aug.) 

“This commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God, 
love also his brother.” (1 John iv, 21) 


i6o 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


(b) In his quality as a Christian. We are all brethren in Jesus 
Christ, and the bond formed among men by Christianity is stronger 
even than that formed by nature. As Christians we have all been 
regenerated by the same baptism, we are nourished by the same Sac¬ 
raments. 

“You are the body of Christ, and members of member.” (i Cor. 
xii, 27) 

“We being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members 
one of another.” (Rom. xii, 5) 

Poor and rich, all belong to the same mystical body of Christ, 
consequently all should be united by the closest bond of charity. 

Therefore, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so you shall fulfil 
the law of Christ.” (Gal. vi, 2) 

“If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” 
(Rom. viii, 9) 

“In this we have known the charity of God, because He hath laid 
down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for our 
brethren.” (1 John iii, 16) 

And yet, where shall we find this Christian charity, which ought to 
be the bond uniting hearts? Among many Christians we see only 
enmities, divisions, jealousies, injustice. ... It can be said that, among 
creatures, man finds no more cruel enemy than his fellow-man. Fi¬ 
delity among friends no longer exists. No one knows, it is said, 
whom to trust. Even those who are most closely related by ties of 
blood are sometimes the greatest enemies. You will often see those 
who make profession of piety giving way to hatred, dislike, and ill- 
Will. O charity of the early Christians—why do you not reign in the 
hearts of the Christians of to-day! 

“One loves because he is loved in return, another because he is 
honored, and again another because he thinks a man will be useful 
to him; you will have difficulty in finding any one who loves his 
friend for the sake of Jesus Christ: almost all are influenced by 
worldly interests.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Such is the blessing of the peace which springs from mutual char¬ 
ity, that among created things nothing more delightful can be desired, 
nothing more useful possessed.” (S. Lawr. Just.) 


II. HOW WE MUST LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR 

1. With a sincere love, which exists in the heart, and which is 
opposed to those seeming friendships that have no reality; 2. with an 
efficacious love, which is shown in works, and is opposed to those 


HOW WE MUST LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR 


161 


empty friendships that are without effect; 3. with a pure and disin¬ 
terested love. 


1. With a Sincere Love 

We ought to love our neighbor with a love like to that which we 
have for ourselves. But as the love which we have for ourselves 
is not always well regulated, as it is not always animated by a good 
motive, as it is often vicious, Jesus Christ wished to purify our love 
for our neighbor, by proposing to us as a model the love He has for 
us: “As I have loved you.” 

We love ourselves with a sincere love, and it can be said that on 
this point we are not likely to conceal it; we not only do not wish 
evil to ourselves, but we desire for ourselves those things that are 
necessary, useful, or agreeable. 

“Consider how much love you have for yourself, and have as much 
for your neighbor.” (S. Aug.) 

“Do not do to another what you would not wish to be done to 
you; ... all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, 
do you also to them.” (Matth. vii, 12) 

“To love one’s neighbor as oneself, is a greater thing than all holo¬ 
causts and sacrifices.” (Mark xii, 33) 

Because you love yourself, you do not wish that your property 
should be stolen, that your character should be injured, or yourself 
insulted. If you are in sorrow or trouble, you are pleased when 
others visit and sympathize with you. You wish others to have pa¬ 
tience with your faults or defects. Go thou and do in like manner. 

Alas! how rare is that charity which suffers all, which forgives all, 
which desires good to all! . . . People believe that they fulfil this 
obligation of charity by some signs of friendship which they show 
towards their neighbor; but under those visible signs there is.no 
sincere and solid love. Do you desire proof of this? Let the neigh¬ 
bor meet with some trouble or misfortune, and people feel a malicious 
joy. Let him prosper, and they are grieved, while outwardly they 
seem to rejoice. Is that loving our neighbor as ourselves? Is that 
the love the first Christians had for one another? 

“See [the pagans said] how they love one another, and are ready 

to die for one another.” (Tert.) 

Why? “The multitude of believers had but one heart and one 

soul.” (Acts iv, 32) . , , 1 

“The end of the commandment is charity from a pure heart, and 

a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.” (1 Tim. i, 5) 

“Before all things, have a constant mutual charity among your- 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


162 

selves: for charity covereth a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. iv, 8) 
“Charity, which is founded on the love of Jesus Christ, is firm, 
enduring, and invincible; it is not destroyed by anything, neither by 
detractions, nor dangers, nor death.” (S. Chrys.) 


2. With an Efficacious Love 

When charity exists in the heart, it is shown in the effects it pro¬ 
duces. 

“Let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” 
(1 John iii, 18) 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” What is the love which 
we have for ourselves? We not only desire prosperity for ourselves, 
but we take the measures necessary to procure it, and to find comfort 
in our needs. Are we in want, or sick? The love we have for our¬ 
selves causes us to use every effort to find what is necessary for us. 
A sincere and efficacious love ought to make us act in like manner 
towards our neighbor. Remember the good Samaritan. “Go thou 
and do in like manner.” 

To come to the practice of charity, we must study all the necessities 
of body and soul from which our neighbor suffers, in order to give 
him all the help we can. Is your brother in want? Give him a help¬ 
ing hand. Is he hungry? Give him food. Is he chained to his bed 
by sickness? Visit him, comfort him. In a word, give to your neigh¬ 
bor who is in need, all the services you would be pleased to receive 
from others. 

“Our love is proved by what we do.” (S. Greg.) 

“He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother 
in need, and shall put up his bowels from him: how doth the charity 
of God abide in him?” (1 John iii, 17) 

“If a brother or sister be naked, . . . and you give them not those 
things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?” (Jas. 
ii, 15, 16) 

“Let every one of you please his neighbor unto good, to edification.” 
(Rom. xv, 2) 

But alas! the spirit of selfishness renders men insensible to the suf¬ 
ferings of their neighbors. It is this spirit of selfishness which sepa¬ 
rates those who should be most united, which separates friends and 
relatives, and disturbs all society. 

“All seek the things that are their own” (Phil, ii, 21), whereas 

“Charity seeketh not her own.” (1 Cor. xiii, 5) 

“Who is weak, and I am not weak?” (2 Cor. xi, 29) 

In order, then, to be truly charitable, we ought to cast aside that 


HOW WE MUST LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR 163 

spirit of selfishness, and share our goods with others, according to 
their needs and our means. 

“Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them 
that mourn. Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou 
shalt be confirmed in love.” (Eccli. vii, 38, 39) 

The greatest charity we can show towards our neighbor is to help 
him to save his soul. If your neighbor is in sorrow, console him. If 
he is ignorant or leading a disorderly life, instruct him, correct him. 
If you saw a beast of burden fall into a ditch, you would lift it out 
through friendship for its owner; but you see your brother led to the 
precipice by his sins and you make no effort to draw him back! 
Where is your charity? Where is your zeal for the glory of God? 
But what would it be if by your evil counsel, your bad example, you 
hastened his fall? 

“He gave to every one of them commandment concerning his neigh¬ 
bor.” (Eccli. xvii, 12) 

“Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom 
Christ hath died?” (1 Cor. viii, 11) 

3. With a Pure and Disinterested Love 

It will be such if we love our neighbor as Christ loved us. 

“Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.” (Ephes. v, 2) 

But Christ has loved us without any merit on our part, without any 
self-interest on His. If you have a particular affection for any one 
because of relationship, or of benefits received, that affection should 
be referred to God as to its first object. Charity should be super¬ 
natural, and consequently unselfish. It will be such, if you love your 
neighbor notwithstanding his reverse of fortune, his disgrace, his 
faults, the wrongs he may have done to you. 

“Love of our neighbor is produced by our love of God, and our love 
of God is strengthened by love of our neighbor.” (S. Greg.) 

“This is clearly the office of charity, to love all men for God’s sake. 
If, however, you love one man and do not love another, this is friend¬ 
ship for man’s sake; but ours is not of that kind.” (S. Chrys.) 

Ah! how little unselfish charity we find! We love those who are 
in good repute, because of certain advantages we expect from them; 
we love those who are prosperous and able to do good to us. But 
when we find we have no longer anything to expect, as soon as for¬ 
tune has changed, friendship ends: a clear proof that God is not the 
beginning and the end of that love. 

“Fulfil ye my joy, that you be of one mind, having the same charity, 
being of one accord, agreeing in sentiment.” (Phil, ii, 2) 

“He that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. . . . The love of 


164 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


our neighbor worketh no evil. Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of 
the law.” (Rom. xiii, 8, 10) 

"Let us love one another, for charity is of God.” (1 John iv, 7) 
"If any man say: I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.” 
(1 John iv, 20) 

"Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not per¬ 
versely, is not puffed up,” etc. (1 Cor. xiii, 4) 

"Put ye on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the 
bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with 
one another, and forgiving one another, if you have a complaint against 
another.” "But above all these things have charity, which is the bond 
of perfection.” (Col. iii, 12, 14). 


Divisions 

I 

1. Motives which induce us to love our neighbor: 

i°. He, like us, is a child of the same, Father, God; 

2 0 . like us, he is a child of the same mother, the Church; 

3 0 . like us, he is a member of the same Head, Jesus Christ, and 
of the same body, the Church. 

2. Rules for that love. 

i°. We must love our neighbor just as we wish to be loved by him; 

2°. we must love him as we love ourselves; 

3 0 . we must love him as Christ has loved us. 

II 

1. We should love our neighbor: 

i°. Because God commands it; 

2 0 . because he is made to the image of God, is purchased by the 
blood of Jesus Christ, loved by God, destined for the same end as we; 
he is united to us by the bonds of the same faith and the same relig¬ 
ion, and by participation in the same Sacraments. 

2. The duties of charity consist, 

i°. In not doing any injury to our neighbor; 

2°. in desiring and procuring for him all the good we can, in for¬ 
warding his interests, rejoicing with him, consoling him in his sor¬ 
row, and exercising towards him all the works of mercy. 



HOW WE MUST LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR 165 


III 

Our love for our neighbor ought to be, 

1. supernatural in its beginning, and have in view his eternal salva¬ 
tion; 

2. universal, that is, it should include all men without distinction; 

3. constant and lasting: we should never cease loving him, no mat¬ 
ter what cause we may think we have for not doing so. 


XXVII 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 

THE ADORATION DUE TO GOD 

“Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.” (Exod. xx, 3) 

The first Commandment has reference to the honor, the worship, 
and the love that are due to God. It is expressed in these words: 
“One God only thou shalt adore. ,, By these words we are com¬ 
manded to adore God and to love Him with our whole heart; adora¬ 
tion being the submission of the heart, it follows that we really adore 
God only when we love Him. He who truly adores is He who loves. 
But as I have already spoken to you of the love of God, it will suffice 
to speak to you to-day of the adoration due to Him. I. The adora¬ 
tion which is due to God; II. The sins that are opposed to it. 

I. THE ADORATION WHICH IS DUE TO GOD 

1. To adore God is to give Him the worship, the honor, and the 
respect we owe to Him as our Creator and Sovereign Master. It is 
to acknowledge and profess our entire dependence on and submission 
to Him. 

Is there anything more meet? Has not God given us existence and 
life? Does He not each moment preserve them for us? Is it not He 
who has redeemed us? Should we not then bless Him, praise Him, 
and thank Him? 

“He made us and not we ourselves.” (Ps. xcix, 3) 

Another motive is that God demands this worship from us. It is 
not that He has need of our homage, but He cannot renounce the 
glory which His creatures should give to Him. He cannot dispense 
them from this duty. 

“It is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only 
shalt .thou serve.” (Matth. iv, 10) 

2. How must we give to God this homage of adoration? Man, 
being composed of a body and a soul, and having received both from 
God, ought to employ them in discharging his duties toward God. 
Hence exterior and interior worship. 


166 


THE ADORATION DUE TO GOD 


16 7 

Exterior worship consists in genuflexions, the sign of the cross, 
vocal prayers, etc. It has been always regarded as an indispensable 
duty which man owes to God; because our body belongs to Him as 
well as our soul; because the movements and the posture of the body 
excite in the soul the feelings it should have for God; because, being 
destined to live together in society, we ought to give mutual edification 
by the exercises of exterior and public worship. 

“Come let us adore, and fall down before the Lord.” (Ps. xciv, 6). 

“Unto Thee I have lifted up my eyes; O Thou, who dwellest in 
heaven.” (Ps. cxxii, i) 

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol His name to¬ 
gether.” (Ps. xxxiii, 4) 

Interior worship. Exterior worship cannot please God without in¬ 
terior worship. When our exterior practices of piety are accompanied 
by a lively faith and a sincere love; when, professing with the lips that 
we adore God, we are sincerely disposed to obey Him in all things, 
then, and then only, does God look with love on our adoration. But 
if, when giving Him exterior signs of worship and adoration, we carry 
to the foot of the altar a mind full of worldly folly and a heart full of 
sin, God rejects our homage. 

“The true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. 
For the Father also seeketh such to adore Him.” (John iv, 23) 

“This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far 
from Me.” (Matth. xv, 8) 

“This people draw near Me with their mouth and with their lips 
glorifying Me, but their heart is far from Me.” (Is. xxix, 13) 

“My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.” (Ps. 
lxxxiii, 3) 

Man is content with receiving exterior marks of respect, because he 
cannot know the movements of the soul, the dispositions of the heart. 
“Man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the 
heart.” (1 Kings, xvi, 7) 

How do people fulfil this command to adore God? How do they 
enter the church? How do they conduct themselves there? Would 
they show so little humility, so little respect, in presenting themselves 
before the throne of a secular ruler? 

And as to the interior adoration! They pray, but without reflection, 
without thinking of what they say, without understanding what they 

ask from God. # , w 

“[They are] become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” 

(1 Cor. xiii, 1) 


168 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


“They loved Him with their mouth, and with their tongue lied unto 
Him.” (Ps. lxxvii, 36) 

[Therefore] “My soul hateth your solemnities. ... I am weary of 
bearing them.” (Is. i, 14) 

3. When must we make these acts of adoration? We are obliged 
to make them as soon as we come to the use of reason. Fervent 
Christians perform this duty regularly, morning and evening, and 
often during the day. They hear Mass on week days when the duties 
of their state of life permit them to do so. 

But, alas! how many there are who habitually betake themselves to 
their daily occupations without having first thought of God, without 
having made even the sign of the cross! How many who pass days, 
weeks, nay, entire months without raising their hearts to their Sov¬ 
ereign Lord. Let it not be so with us. 

Sundays and holydays are days on which we are specially called 
upon to fulfil this obligation. 

II. SINS OPPOSED TO THE SUPREME WORSHIP WHICH IS DUE TO GOD, OR 
TO THE VIRTUE OF RELIGION 

1. Idolatry 

Idolatry is committed by giving to a creature the homage which is 
due to the Sovereign Majesty of God alone . . . worship of pagans 
. . . adoration of idols. 

Man renders himself guilty of a kind of idolatry when, in order to 
follow the sinful inclinations of his heart, he refuses to adore God. 
“I am not a pagan,” he may perhaps say, “I do not adore an idol.” 
But those shameful passions to which you give yourself up, those sins 
to which you are sacrificing your eternal salvation, those creatures to 
which you are attached,—are they not so many idols? 

“Whoever sins, commits idolatry.” (Tert.) 

“Covetousness, which is the service of idols.” (Col. iii, 5) 

“Enemies of the cross of Christ, . . . whose god is their belly.” 
(Phil, iii, 18) 

“The unclean . . . worshipped and served the creature rather than 
the Creator.” (Rom. i, 25) 

To serve God and at the same time to serve the world, that is, to 
follow its maxims, to take part in its pomps and sinful pleasures, to 
pretend to live according to the law of God while in reality following 
the customs of a corrupt world, is to be inconsistent, is a thing that 
God will not tolerate. 

“How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, 
follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (3 Kings xviii, 21) 


SINS AGAINST FAITH 


169 


“Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath 
justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness? 
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the 
faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement hath the temple 
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 
(2 Cor. vi, 14-16) 

“No man can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve God and 
mammon.” (Matth. vi, 24) 

“You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils; 
you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of 
devils.” (1 Cor. x, 21) 

“Now, therefore, put away strange gods from among you, and in¬ 
cline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.” (Jos. xxiv, 23) 

2. Witchcraft 

This is the crime of those who, by an express or tacit agreement 
with the devil, or even without such an agreement, desire by his means 
to know the future, or hidden things, or to satisfy their passion of 
avarice, revenge, lust, etc. 

“I would not that you should be made partakers with devils.” 
(1 Cor. x, 20) 

It is of faith that there have been magicians; but the reign of the 
demon having been destroyed by Jesus Christ, and his power consid¬ 
erably weakened, they are now much fewer than is thought. 

We must be careful not to believe lightly that such or such persons 
practise witchcraft and set charms. Instead of fearing such things, 
have a great confidence in God; He takes special care of those who 
love Him. 

“The Lord keepeth all them that love Him.” (Ps. cxliv, 20) 

“If God be for us, who is against us?” (Rom. viii, 31) 

3. Impiety 

A man becomes guilty of impiety when he treats religion with con¬ 
tempt; and this sin, great in itself, becomes much greater when the 
contempt is manifested in speech and conduct. Be very careful not 
to listen to the impious, avoid their society if you do not wish to 
incur the risk of being enveloped in the malediction that awaits them. 

4. Superstition 

By superstition we generally mean vain observances and danger¬ 
ous practices. A man is guilty of this sin when he attributes to certain 


170 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


practices or to certain prayers a power which God has not attached 
to them, which the Church has not recognized in them. There are 
things which from their nature have relation to the effect that is ex¬ 
pected, and which are fit to produce that effect. Certain herbs can 
cure certain kinds of sickness. But to make use of objects, signs, or 
words that evidently have not the power attributed to them, and to 
expect a certain effect from them, is to expect that effect from the 
devil. 

It is superstition to desire to know the future and hidden things, 
a knowledge of which cannot be got by human means. The knowledge 
of events that depend on the free acts of man belongs to God alone. 

“Show the things that are to come hereafter, and we shall know that 
ye are gods.” (Is. xli, 23) 

“Go not aside after wizards, nor ask anything of sorcerers, to be 
defiled by them.” (Levit. xix, 31) 

Do you wish to know the future? There are some things which 
you can know with certainty. 

“Those who have done good will go into eternal life; but those who 
have done evil into everlasting fire.” (Athanasian Creed) 

“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to 
hell.” (Job xxi, 13) 

“When they shall say, peace and security, then shall sudden destruc¬ 
tion come upon them.” (1 Thess. v, 3) 

“Know ye this and understand that no fornicator, or unclean, or 
covetous person (which is a serving of idols) hath inheritance in the 
kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Ephes. v, 5) 

“Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” 
(Luke xiii, 3) 

“He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

The observing of signs and dreams is another very common super¬ 
stition. 

“You shall not divine nor observe dreams.” (Levit. xix, 26) 

“Give no heed to your dreams.” (Jer. xxix, 8) 

“Dreams have deceived many, and they have failed that put their 
trust in them.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 7) 

“Thou hast hated them that regard vanities.” (Ps. xxx, 7) 

“You observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid 
of you, lest perhaps, I have labored in vain among you.” (Gal. iv, 
10, n) 

“Be not afraid of the signs of heaven which the heathens fear; for 
the laws of people are vain.” (Jer. x, 2, 3) 

Avoid superstition, but avoid also the unbelievers, who treat as su¬ 
perstitions the dogmas and ceremonies of religion. 


SACRILEGE 


171 


5. Sacrilege 

The first commandment also forbids all profanation of holy things, 
—all sacrilege. By these sacred things, the profaning of which is 
sacrilege, we understand especially the Sacraments, the word of God, 
the ceremonies of the Church, everything that serves for the worship 
of God, as images, ornaments, sacred vessels. 

Profanation of holy places, . . . treating injuriously persons conse¬ 
crated to God. 

“They polluted My sanctuary.” (Ezech. xxiii, 38) 

“If any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” 
(1 Cor. iii, 17) 

“Give honor to the priests.” (Eccli. vii, 33) 

“He that despises you, despises Me.” (Luke x, 16) 


XXVIII 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 

THE WORSHIP OF THE SAINTS, OF IMAGES, AND 
OF RELICS 

“Thou shalt not have strange gods.” (Exod. xx, 3) 

We are commanded by the first Commandment to adore God alone. 
Are we forbidden to honor the saints, their images, and their relics? 
Evidently not. I am going to explain to you what the Catholic Church 
teaches, and what you ought to know, regarding the worship and the 
honor given to the saints, to images, and to relics. I. In what does 
this worship given to the saints, to their images and relics consist? 
II. The benefit and fruit which can and ought to be drawn from this 
worship; III. Errors to be avoided. 

I. IN WHAT DOES THIS WORSHIP CONSIST? 

i. The Church does not give to the saints the same worship that 
she gives to God; she honors them only as the friends of God . There 
is, therefore, no idolatry in this worship. 

The veneration of the saints, has been practised at all times. 

“Josue fell on his face to the ground, and worshipping said: What 
saith my Lord to his servant?” (Jos. v, 15) 

The worship given to the saints does not diminish that given to God, 
because all the honor given to them is ultimately referred to Him. 
We honor the gifts of God in the saints. 

“We honor the relics of the martyrs in order to adore Him whose 
martyrs they are. We honor the servants, that the honor given to 
them may redound to the honor of the Lord.” (S. Jerome) 

God approves of the honor given to His friends; He is pleased to 
manifest their holiness by striking miracles worked in favor of those 
who honor them. 

‘‘Thy friends, O God, are exceedingly honorable.” (Ps. cxxxviii, 
17 ) 

“As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did 
it to Me.” (Matth. xxv, 40) 


172 


THE WORSHIP OF THE SAINTS 173 

“If any man minister to Me, him will My Father honor.” (John 

xii, 26) 

“You are My friends if you do the things that I command you.” 
(John xv, 14) 

Finally, it is the Church, always guided by the Holy Ghost, that 
teaches us to give this honor to those of her children whom God has 
glorified. And who can know better than she what contributes to or 
takes from the glory of God? 

2. The Church teaches us to honor the images of the saints : yet we 
do not believe that they have of themselves anything that should cause 
us to honor them. We honor them in the memory of Jesus Christ and 
of the saints, and because the honor we give them is referred to the 
objects they represent. 

“The honor shown to them is referred to the originals represented 
by them.” (Council of Trent, Sess. 25) 

“Helena adored the King, not the wood.” (S. Ambr.) 

Crosses, miraculous images, have not of themselves any virtue. 
They are, however, preserved with more respect because, besides rep¬ 
resenting Jesus Christ or the saints, they serve as memorials of the 
goodness and almighty power of God. Thus, one of the reasons why 
it may be more advantageous to pray before a miraculous image than 
before one not miraculous, is that in recalling to mind the graces which 
God has granted in such a place, we are induced to pray with more 
fervor and confidence, and in so doing, more easily obtain what we 
ask. 

3. Among other relics we should pay a special veneration to the 
holy bodies of the martyrs and others who reign with Jesus Christ, 
who on earth were His living members, the temples of the Holy Ghost, 
and whom He will one day raise up from the dead and glorify for all 
eternity. (Council of Trent, Sess. 25). Through them God grants 
many favors to men. The Church has always rendered this worship 
to the relics of the saints; God himself has authorized it by many 
miracles. 

The mantle of Elias divided the waters of the Jordan. (4 Kings, 

ii, 8) ...... 

The bones of Eliseus restored a dead man to life. (Ibid, xm, 21) 

Articles that had touched the body of S. Paul cured the sick and 
delivered those possessed of the devil. (Acts xix, 12) 

Ecclesiastical history relates a great number of similar facts. 

“Your bones shall flourish like an herb.” (Is. lvi, 14) 

“The Lord keepeth all their bones: not one of them shall be broken.” 
(Ps. xxxiii, 21) 


174 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


II. THE BENEFIT AND FRUIT WHICH CAN AND OUGHT TO BE DRAWN 
FROM THIS WORSHIP 

We honor the saints, their images and their relics, because they are 
the friends of God, because they can help us by their protection. 

We venerate the images of the saints; we place them in our churches, 
in order that by means of these images the faithful may know, and 
more readily call to mind, the gifts and benefits they have received 
from Jesus Christ. In doing this we, in a certain sense, place before 
the eyes of Christians the miracles God has worked by His saints, as 
well as their salutary example, so that they may give thanks to the 
Lord, may imitate these models, and may be moved to adore and love 
God, the Author of all holiness. 

“You are My friends.” (John xv, 14) 

“Secure in their destiny they are anxious for our salvation.” 
(S. Cypr.) 

“Go to My servant, Job, . . . and My servant, Job, will pray for 
you.” (Job xlii, 8) 

The Angel Raphael said to Tobias: “When thou didst pray with 
tears, ... I offered thy prayer to the Lord.” (Tob. xii, 12) 

“Look and make it according to the pattern that was shown thee 
in the mount.” (Exod. xxv, 40) 

“That we may rejoice in the merits of those by whose example we 
are taught.” (Eccl. Office) 

“Can you not do what these have done?” (S. Aug.) 

Paintings are placed in the churches in order that the illiterate, who 
cannot read what is written in books, may at least read it by seeing 
it on the walls.” (S. Greg.) 

“To worship the saints is to our advantage, not theirs.” (S. Bern.) 

III. ERRORS TO BE AVOIDED 

If the worship which is given to the saints is not regulated by the 
teaching of the Church, it is defective, and is not pleasing to the saints 
to whom it is given, because it is not referred to God, and does not 
contribute to His honor and glory. 

It is an error to direct all our devotion towards a saint at a time 
when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed or carried in procession; or 
to be scrupulous about working on the feast of a saint, while feeling 
no scruple in the profanation of the Sunday; or to believe that it is 
from the saints themselves we obtain what we ask through their in¬ 
tercession; or to refer our worship to the image, the statue, the relic 
itself without directing it to the saint whom these things represent. 

We sin through want of veneration when we treat images, relics, 


THE WORSHIP OF THE SAINTS 


175 

without respect, without devotion, without trying to enter into the 
feelings that cause them to be exposed in the churches. 

Have these memorials of piety in your houses; the house of a Chris¬ 
tian should be distinguished from that of a pagan. Do not have in¬ 
decent pictures. Understand clearly what the teaching of the Church 
is regarding the worship of the saints. 

Adoration is to be given to God alone; prayers of intercession only 
are to be addressed to the saints, as to creatures. The veneration given 
to the saints should be referred ultimately to God. Let us take special 
care to be urged on in the work of our sanctification by the images and 
the example of the saints. 

“The life of the saints is the model for others.” (S. Ambr.) 


XXIX 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 

OATHS AND VOWS 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” (Exod. 
xx, 7) 

The second Commandment forbids us to profane the adorable name 
of God by unnecessary or sinful oaths. This gives rise to three ques¬ 
tions: I. What is an oath? II. What conditions should accompany 
an oath? III. What obligation does one contract by an oath, and when 
can one be dispensed from this obligation? 

I. WHAT IS AN OATH ? 

To swear or to take an oath is to call on God to witness the truth of 
what we say. We can call on God as a witness in many ways: ex¬ 
plicitly, as : God is my witness; implicitly, through certain creatures in 
which the divine perfections shine forth in a striking manner, by 
words, by signs, in touching the holy Gospels, in raising the hand. 

An oath is allowed and, whenever accompanied by the required con¬ 
ditions, is an act of religion by which God is honored. 

“Thou shalt swear by His [God’s] name.” (Deut. vi, 13) 

It is authorized by the example of the saints: 

“As the Lord liveth.” (3 Kings i, 29) 

“As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth.” (4 Kings ii, 2) 

“So do God to me, and add more, if thou be not the chief captain 
of the army before me always in the place of Joab.” (2 Kings xix, 

13) 

“Didst not thou, my Lord, O King [David], swear to me thy hand¬ 
maid, saying: Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit 
in my throne?” (3 Kings i, 13) 

“Now the things which I write to you; behold before God, I lie 
not.” (Gal. i, 20) 

The Lord bound Himself by oaths: 

“The Lord hath sworn and He will not repent.” (Ps. cix, 4) 

“The Lord of armies hath sworn by Himself.” (Jer. li, 14) 

“All they shall be praised that swear by Him.” (Ps. lxii, 12) 

“An oath is for confirmation,” (Heb. vi, 16) 

176 


OATHS 


1 77 


II. CONDITIONS OF AN OATH 

‘Thou shalt swear: As the Lord liveth, in truth, and in judgment, 
and in justice.” (Jer. iv, 2) 

“It must be remembered that an oath should have these companions, 

(1) truth (2) judgment, and (3) justice.” (S. Jerome) 

1. Truth. That is to say, we must be certain that the thing is as 
we state it on oath; we must have the intention of really doing what 
we promise. Without this condition the oath is called perjury, and is 
always a mortal sin. 

“That perjury is a sin, and a great sin, no one doubts. It is a very 
grave sin to swear falsely.” (S. Aug.) 

It inflicts a great injury on God, even though the subject matter 
of the oath or promise be of little consequence. It is in reality a great 
outrage on God and on His holy name, to call on Him to confirm a 
lie. What would be thought of a servant who would say to his mas¬ 
ter: “I wish to deceive some one, but I cannot do it by myself; permit 
me to use your credit, your authority, your name, in order to accom¬ 
plish my purpose.” 

But when a man swears falsely in a light matter, when he proposes 
to render a service to his neighbor, when he is threatened with great 
evils, is it always a mortal sin? Yes; all these circumstances can 
diminish the gravity of the sin, but they cannot prevent its being mortal. 

“God is not mocked.” (Gal. vi, 7) 

Perjury is then an outrage against the adorable name of God. This 
consideration alone should suffice to make us fear perjury; to this add 
the thought of the chastisements with which God threatens to punish 
it. 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for 
the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the 
Lord his God in vain.” (Exod. xx, 7) 

“The curse . . . shall come to the house of him that sweareth falsely 
by My name; and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall 
consume it, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. (Zach. 
v, 4) 

Why does not this curse fall on the person of the perjurer only, 
why does it fall on his house also? It is, says St. Chrysostom, in 
order that all may learn, at the sight of such terrible punishment, to 
amend their lives, or never to fall into similar crimes. And do not 
imagine that there have not been examples of this striking punishment. 

“Six things there are which the Lord hateth, and the seventh His 
soul detesteth, ... a deceitful witness.” (Prov. vi, 16, 19) 


178 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


Sedecias perjured himself; his children were massacred; he 
himself was deprived of sight. (Jer. xxxiv, Hi) 

“He who lightly values an oath, deceives Him by whom he swears, 
and does an injury to Him in whose name the opponent believes.” 
(S. Jerome) 

2. Judgment. That is to say, we must not swear lightly or without 
necessity, and we must understand what our oath is about. 

“Holy and terrible is His name.” (Ps. cx, 9) 

We must not, then, use that dread name in vain! We must not 
invoke it in frivolous matters or when we have other means of gaining 
belief in our word. 

“He shall not be unpunished that taketh His name upon a vain 
thing.” (Deut. v, 11) 

The first Christians, penetrated with profound respect for the oath, 
took it with the greatest circumspection. As for me, says S. Augus¬ 
tine, I take an oath, but only when I am forced to do so; and then, 
after mature consideration, I say with respect and fear: “I speak to 
you in the presence of God,” or “Jesus Christ knows that I speak sin¬ 
cerely.” And yet how do many among us act in this matter? With 
what scandalous facility they swear! There is hardly anything else 
heard among workmen, merchants, etc. After that, should we be 
astonished to see the most deplorable disasters come on those who 
swear through custom ? Should we be astonished at the temporal evils 
that fall on them? 

“A man that sweareth much shall be filled with iniquity, and a 
scourge shall not depart from his house.” (Eccli. xxiii, 12) 

“For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain.” (Ps. 
v, 10) 

“For a morsel of bread he forsakes the truth.” (Prov. xxviii, 21) 

“The practice of swearing forms a habit of perjury.” (S. Isid.) 

“He who swears often, sometimes perjures himself; just as he who 
is accustomed to speak a great deal, sometimes speaks without consid¬ 
eration.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Those whose every word is true need not swear.” (S. Hilary) 

“Truth does not require an oath.” (S. Isid.) 

“But I say to you, swear not at all (unless in truth and judg¬ 
ment).” (Matth. v, 34). “But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no.” 
(Ibid. 37) 

“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, 
nor by the earth, nor by any other oath.” (Jas. v, 12) 

We must know the matter about which we swear. 

“No one swears justly unless he can know that about which he 


OATHS 


179 

swears. Know the truth before swearing, so that the bond of the 
oath may not injure you.” (S. Ambr.) 

When there is question of an oath it is especially forbidden to make 
use of any mental reservation. 

“However artful the form of words employed in an oath may be, 
God, who is witness of the conscience, receives it in that sense in which 
he to whom it is sworn understands it.” (S. Isid.) 

3. Justice. That is to say, an oath should not be taken except to 
testify to the truth, or to promise that which is permitted, just, and 
becoming. To bind oneself by an oath to do evil would be a horrible 
crime. It would be not only to offend God, but even to bind oneself 
by an oath to offend Him!—to take God Himself as a witness of your 
purpose. How is it possible to express the abomination of so great a 
crime! 

“If any one swears that he will commit a sin, he sins both in taking 
such an oath and in keeping it.” (S. Thomas) 

We cannot even bind ourselves by an oath not to do that which is 
good. 

“An oath cannot be a bond of iniquity.” 

“An oath contrary to good morals does not bind him who takes it.” 

Such was the oath of Herod. (Mark vi, 23) 

III. WHAT OBLIGATION DOES ONE CONTRACT BY AN OATH, AND WHEN 
CAN ONE BE DISPENSED FROM THIS OBLIGATION? 

An unlawful oath does not bind. To do the evil one swears to do, 
would be to add crime to crime. Instead of doing what has been 
promised, he who has made a wicked promise should stir up in his 
heart a sincere sorrow for his impious oath and do penance for it. 

But if the object of the oath is something that is just and lawful, 
the oath must be kept; to fail in keeping it would be a grave sin- 
perjury,—unless something happens that diminishes the guilt or dis¬ 
penses altogether from the obligation. 

“If any man make a vow to the Lord, or bind himself by an oath, 
he shall not make his word void, but shall fulfil all that he promised. 
(Num. xxx, 3) 

“Shall he escape that hath broken the covenant? As I live, I will 
lay upon his head the oath he hath despised, and the covenant he hath 
broken.” (Ezech. xvii, 15, 19) 

“Let not thy mouth be accustomed to swearing, for in it there are 
many falls.” (Eccli. xxiii, 9) 

“Thou shalt not swear falsely by My name, nor profane the name 
of thy God.” (Levit. xix, 12) 


i8o 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 


“Because of the perjury he has committed, let his right hand be cut 
off/’ (Capit. of Charlemagne) 

Circumstances which suspend, or altogether dispense from, the ob¬ 
ligation of an oath are: the impossibility of keeping the oath;—when 
the thing promised becomes unlawful;—if even though not unlawful, 
it places an obstacle to a greater good. 


Division 

I 

The conditions that should accompany an oath are: 

1. Truth, 

2. Justice, 

3. Judgment. 

Each of these conditions should be developed briefly and it should 
be shown that all three are very seldom found united in the oaths 
that are so multiplied now-a-days without any necessity. 



XXX 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 

BLASPHEMY AND IMPRECATIONS 

“He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die.” (Levit. 
xxiv, 16) 

The second Commandment forbids all false, rash, and unnecessary 
oaths; it forbids cursing and blasphemy also. If it is sad to see Chris¬ 
tians profane the holy name of God by swearing without necessity, and 
sometimes even against truth and justice, what are we to think of the 
cursing and blasphemy that have become so common in our time? 
May my words fill you with a lively horror of these crimes! I. Curses 
are unworthy of a Christian;—nothing can excuse them. II. Blas¬ 
phemy, its different kinds; its gravity. 

I. IMPRECATIONS ARE UNWORTHY OF A CHRISTIAN 

To curse or utter imprecations is to wish evil to oneself or others. 
If it is accompanied by an oath, it is called an execratory oath. The 
oath in itself is not bad; St. Paul seems to swear in this manner when 
he says: “I call God to witness upon my soul.” (2 Cor. i, 23) 

But if it is so necessary to observe the conditions of an ordinary 
oath, how much more necessary is it to observe them in an execratory 

oath. . , 

And yet how often it happens that people take an oath of this kind 
without necessity, without judgment, to certify to the truth of that 
which they know to be false, or even to testify to their desire to do 
evil. (Examples of imprecations) 

These imprecations on creatures are generally an outrage on the 

They are unworthy of a Christian. They are still more unworthy 
and criminal when they are directed against reasonable creatures, 
against one’s neighbor, against a husband or wife, against children. 
Consider what these are in relation to God and to yourself 

This sin is totally opposed to the charity which we should have for 
our neighbor; it is, therefore, always a mortal sin, unless, . 

1. A light evil only is wished, or the evil is not seriously wished; 

2. Unless the imprecation is made in jest; 

181 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


182 

3. Or arises from a sudden fit of anger. Would you make use of 
these imprecations if you knew the evil you were doing to yourself, 
to others, your children, your parents. (Examples) 

Vain excuses: “I was provoked ... it was a fit of anger.” But 
you should forgive those who injure you. “I have unnatural chil¬ 
dren.” But is that the way to correct theija? “When I curse any 
one, I do not really wish evil to that one.” | 3 ut less evil is not done 
nor is less scandal given. 

“Blessed are the peace-makers . . . Blessed are the meek.” 


II. THE SIN OF BLASPHEMY 

To blaspheme is to speak in a manner injurious to God and His 
saints. It is a much graver sin than cursing. It may be committed 
in several ways: 

1. In attributing faults to God, or saying that He is wanting in any 
perfection, as Rabsaces: 

“Who are they among all the gods of the nations that have delivered 
their country out of my hand, that the Lord may deliver Jerusalem out 
of my hands?” (4 Kings xviii, 35). 

Or the generals of Holofernes: 

“Who is this that saith that the children of Israel can resist King 
Nabuchodonosor?” (Judith v, 27) 

The impious and unbelievers say: 

“What doth God know? and He judgeth as it were through a mist. 
The clouds are His covert, and He doth not consider our things.” 
(Job xxii, 13, 14) 

“He labors in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we 
have kept His ordinances, and that we have walked sorrowful before 
the Lord of hosts?” (Malach. iii, 14) 

2. When we attribute to ourselves that which should be referred 
to God as if “Our mighty hand, and not the Lord, hath done all these 
things.” (Deut. xxxii, 27) 

Or when we attribute to the devil the works of God, as did the 
scribes: 

“By the prince of devils He casteth out devils.” (Mark iii, 22) 

3. When one says: I wish God did not exist, that He did not 
punish, etc. 

“The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.” (Ps. xiii, 1) 
4. When one speaks of God or of the saints with contempt: 

“Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God and in three days dost 
rebuild it, save thy own self.” (Matth. xxvii, 40) 

Gravity of this sin. 


BLASPHEMY 


183 

The holy Fathers call blasphemy the greatest impiety, the most 
detestable crime, because it attacks God directly, immediately . . . and 
yet some Christians are guilty of blasphemy. 

Who is God? What is man? 

“Whom hast thou reproached, and whom hast thou blasphemed? . . . 
The Holy One of Israel.” (Is. xxxvii, 23) 

“O My people, what have I done to thee, or in what have I molested 
thee? Answer thou Me.” (Mich, vi, 3) 

“Christ was scourged by the rods of the Jews, but He is scourged 
not less cruelly by the blasphemies of false Christians.” (S. Aug.) 

“Blasphemy is an utterly horrible sacrilege, which seems to exceed 
the wickedness of those who laid hands on the Lord of majesty.” 
(S. Bern.) 

That the devils blaspheme God is not to be wondered at: 

“They blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and 
wounds.” (Apoc. xvi, 11) 

But that a Christian should do so! 

“You are a chosen generation ... a holy nation, a purchased peo¬ 
ple .. . who in time past were not a people; but are now the people 
of God; who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 
(1 Pet. ii, 9, 10) 

“There is nothing more horrible than blasphemy. . . . Blasphemy 
does not merit pardon.” (S. Jerome) 

“There is nothing worse than blasphemy.” (S. Chrys.) 

“He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die; all 
the multitude shall stone him.” (Levit. xxiv, 16) 

God often punishes blasphemers in this life. (Examples). Hell is 
reserved for them in the next. 

“Such as curse Him shall perish.” (Ps. xxxvi, 22) 

“[Therefore] let blasphemy be put away from you, with all malice.” 
(Eph. iv, 31) 

“Let not the naming of God be usual in thy mouth, and meddle not 
with the names of saints, for thou shalt not escape free from them.” 
(Eccli. xxiii, 10) 

“[But say:] I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall be 
always in my mouth.” (Ps. xxxiii, 1) 

“As we should suffer patiently injuries inflicted on ourselves; so 
when we see any one uttering blasphemies against God with a sacri¬ 
legious tongue, we should not suffer patiently, but should rise up 
against the "sacrilege, and condemn the tongue by a truthful answer.” 
(S. Jerome) 



184 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


Division 

I 

Enormity of the sin of blasphemy, especially of the blasphemy com¬ 
mitted by joining the word holy to the adorable name of God. 

1. The blasphemer is guilty of sacrilege. 

Sacrilege is the profanation of a holy thing; but what can be more 
holy than the name of God? 

2. The blasphemer is guilty of impiety. 

By impiety is meant contempt of God or of a holy thing. A man 
lives an impious life when he abandons the duties of his religion, 
neglects the salvation of his soul, and glories in the sins he commits. 

But what injury does not the blasphemer do to God? . . . What is 
the religion of him who acts towards God in a way in which he would 
not dare to act towards the poorest of his fellow-creatures? What 
care has he for the salvation of his soul ? 

3. The blasphemer is insane. 

Must he not have been mad to consent to lose the greatest of all 
goods, and to expose himself to infinite pain without receiving any 
profit, any advantages in so doing? . . . The drunkard condemns him¬ 
self, but he has at least the pleasure of drinking and making merry. 
The thief condemns himself, but he hopes to enjoy the fruit of his 
theft. . . . But what compensation has the blasphemer, what satis¬ 
faction does he hope to reap from his sin? He is then a mad man, 
unless, perhaps, he finds pleasure in the very evil he commits, a feel¬ 
ing that is peculiar to the devils, and which authorizes me to say, 

4. That a blasphemer is a devil incarnate. 

That is going too far, you will say. No, it is simply the truth. The 
whole occupation of the devils in hell is to curse, to blaspheme the holy 
name of God; and since blasphemers use the same language on earth, 
why should we not give them the same name? But still there is a 
difference between them; it is, that the blasphemers of this world sur¬ 
pass in wickedness and malice the blasphemers in hell. The devils and 
the damned blaspheme; and for that reason God inflicts on them the 
most rigorous punishment. Christians blaspheme the name of God, 
while they are receiving from Him nothing but benefits! As they re¬ 
semble the devils during life, blasphemers shall share their torments 
during eternity,—unless they change their lives and do penance. 


XXXI 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


CURSING AND SWEARING 

"Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the 
Council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell 
fire.” (Matth. v, 22) 

Those who are addicted to the habit of swearing usually seek to 
justify themselves thus:—I. “I curse and swear, but I do not mean 
any harm”; II. "I curse and swear, but not without reason.” III. 
Their bad habit is not without a remedy. 


I. I CURSE AND SWEAR, BUT I DO NOT MEAN ANY HARM 

What sin is committed by him who swears at and curses his neighbor ? 

“In its nature it is a mortal sin, and is so much the graver the more 
he is bound to love and honor those whom he curses.” (S. Thos.) 

“He that curseth his father or mother shall die the death.” (Exod. 
xxi, 17) 

In order to understand the malice of this sin we must reflect seri¬ 
ously on the injury it inflicts, (1) on God, (2) on the neighbor, (3) on 
him who is guilty of it. 


1. Injury to God 

He who curses and swears turns against God and attacks His in¬ 
finite perfections. 4 „ , , , „ /T3 ... s 

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof. (Ps. xxm, I) 
The swearer ascribes all to the devil . . . when any trouble comes 
to him he blames the dispositions of Divine Providence, instead of 
acknowledging that all things are arranged by the wisdom of God, to 
whom he should willingly submit, saying with holy Job: 

“As it hath pleased the Lord, so it is done; blessed be the name of 

^ Helsto carried awTyby this execrable habit of cursing as to say that 

God is not just. „ /T ••• 

“Out of the same mouth proceedeth cursing. (Jas. 111, 10) 
Wretched swearer, is it thus you treat the supreme majesty of your 
God 1 Irritated against your neighbor, a thousand times you wish him 

185 


i86 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


dead; you wish that God would punish him, that the devil would seize 
him. Ah! unhappy man, what are you doing? After that do you 
complain that your business is not prospering, that you meet with 
nothing but trouble and misfortune. I am not surprised at that; it is 
caused by the habit of cursing. Yes, said the wise man, God so pun¬ 
ishes the swearer that the evil never leaves his house. 

“A man that sweareth much shall be filled with iniquity, and a 
scourge shall not depart from his house.” (Eccli. xxiii, 12) 

2. Injury to the Neighbor 

God sometimes hears the evil prayers of the curser. 

“The mother’s curse rooteth up the foundation.” (Eccli. iii, II) 

“The prayer of him that curseth thee in the bitterness of his soul, 
shall be heard.” (Eccli. iv, 6) 

You wish your wife dead. You invoke the devil against your child, 
and yet you complain that you have no control over that child, that he 
is breaking your heart. I am not surprised that it is so: you have 
given him to the devil, and that evil spirit makes him disobedient, re¬ 
bellious. Very often the curses of parents fall on their children. 
(Example related by S. Augustine). 

3. Injury to the Swearer Himself 

But if these maledictions against the neighbor are not always ful¬ 
filled, they generally fall back on him who pronounces them. 

“He loved cursing, and it shall come unto him; and he would not 
have blesing; and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing 
like a garment; and it went in like water into his entrails, and like oil 
in his bones. . . . Like a girdle with which he is girded continually.” 
(Ps. cxviii, 18, 19) 

“Such as bless Him shall inherit the land; but such as curse Him 
shall perish.” (Ps. xxxvi, 22) 

In view of all this can it be maintained that there is no evil in curs¬ 
ing and swearing? Can you regard as a light fault that sin which is 
so injurious to God, to the neighbor, and to him who commits it? 

II. “1 CURSE AND SWEAR, BUT NOT WITHOUT REASON” 

There is no excuse for this sin. To justify themselves those who 
curse and swear usually say, (1) that they do so only when carried 
away by anger, (2) or to certify to the truth, or (3) through custom 
and habit. 

1. People do so only when Carried Away by Anger 

You swear only when angry. But in this you are doubly guilty, 
both in giving way to anger, and in swearing when angry. 


CURSING AND SWEARING 


187 


“The first darts of anger are always cursed.” (Salvian) 

“Whenever we meet with something which in our weakness we are 
unable to do, we lose our temper, and so in every movement of an 
angry mind we employ evil wishes for weapons.” (Salvian) 

See that man in a violent passion; he is angry and swears. Against 
whom? Very often he does not know. Against what? Often 
against inanimate things. Has that gambler lost his money at play, 
does that artisan see that his work is not progressing,—he is angry, he 
swears and curses. 

“The speech that sweareth much, shall make the hair of the head 
stand upright; and its irreverence shall make one stop his ears. In 
the quarrels of the proud is the shedding of blood, and their cursing 
is a grievous hearing.” (Eccli., xxvii, 15, 16) 

2. They Swear to Certify to the Truth 

But can that not be done without swearing? No one is less worthy 
of belief than those who swear habitually, because the man who is cap¬ 
able of swearing in this manner is capable of deceiving. Always speak 
the truth and you will be believed without swearing, . . . and God 
will bless your house, . . . while “the curse shall come ... to the 
house of him that sweareth falsely by My name; and it shall remain 
in the midst of his house and shall consume it.” (Zach. v, 4) 

3. They Swear Through Custom and Habit 

You swear through habit! It is not then through surprise or vio¬ 
lent temptation, which might lessen your sin; it is by profession^and 
through malice. You are, therefore, of the number of those “who 
are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in most wicked things. 
(Prov. ii, 14). Through habit! For a long time, then, you have been 
an enemy of God, have given scandal to your children! 

“O child of the devil, enemy of all justice, thou ceasest not to per¬ 
vert the right ways of the Lord.” (Acts xiii, 10) 

“Tremble, and expect at death as many devils as you will have pro¬ 
nounced maledictions.” (Salvian) 

III. THEIR BAD HABIT IS NOT WITHOUT A REMEDY 

I. To This Habit of Swearing Oppose a Contrary One; and for 
This Purpose Make Use of Efficacious Means 

If you had to pay a fine for each curse, you would very soon lose 
the habit of cursing. Will you then have less regard for the welfare 
of your soul than for a small temporal loss? 


i88 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


2. Avoid Everything That Might Cause You to Swear 

“Above all things, my brethren, swear not.” (Jas. v, 12) 

Why have you those ambiguous expressions always on your tongue? 
By those expressions, which are so many disguised oaths, you teach 
your children and your servants to swear, and you give a bad example. 

“Let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and 
above these, is of evil.” (Matth. v, 37) 

3 .To Anger Oppose Mildness and Patience 

“But now lay you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blas¬ 
phemy, filthy speech out of your mouth.” (Col. iii, 8) 

Give up your bad habits without delay, that anger, those outbursts 
of passion, those curses and scandalous discourses . . . Reflect ser¬ 
iously that if you swear in your anger, you have reason to fear that 
God in His anger may swear that you shall never enter into His 
kingdom: 

“I swore in My wrath that they shall not enter into My rest.” 
(Ps. xciv, 11) 

Fear these words of the supreme Judge: 

“Depart, you cursed, into everlasting fire.” 


Divisions 

I 

Unlawful oaths and blasphemies are: 

1. Sins of pure malice, since no advantage is gained from them; 

2. They are sins of enormous gravity that have a peculiar mark of 
impiety, because they attack God more directly; 

3. They are more severely punished and less easily pardoned by 
God. 


II 

Those who swear and blaspheme the holy name of God in this 
life resemble the damned: they declare themselves 

1. enemies of God, 

2. enemies of other men, 

3. their own enemies. 

They who have contracted this,habit should labor earnestly to cor¬ 
rect it. Those who hear others blaspheme should, through zeal for 
God's glory, check the blasphemers, so as not to be made accomplices 
in their sin. 



XXXII 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 

VOWS 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” (Exod. 
xx, 7) 

We are commanded by the second Commandment to fulfil the prom¬ 
ises made to God or to the saints. 

The promises made to God are called vows. They will form the 
subject of this instruction; and so as not to omit anything of interest 
on this matter, I will explain to you: I. What is meant by a vow; its 
merit and its conditions; II. The obligation that arises from it; III. 
The circumstances in which this obligation ceases. 

I. WHAT IS MEANT BY A VOW; ITS MERIT AND ITS CONDITIONS 

A vow is a promise regarding a greater good, freely made to God, 
with the intention of binding him who makes it. 

Difference between a promise and a simple resolution. 

“Of a greater good,” that is to say, we promise God something 
which, all things considered, it is better to do than not to do. What 
we promise to God ought to be pleasing to Him; would He accept 
with pleasure an engagement in which we would undertake to do 
something that would contribute less to His glory than the opposite 
thing? For example, pilgrimages that would expose us to the danger 
of missing Mass, or neglecting other essential duties? 

A vow properly so called can be made to God only; because a vow 
is an act of religion by which we profess that God is the Creator of 
all that is good. 

“The Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall worship 
Him with sacrifices and offerings; and they shall make vows to the 
Lord and perform them.” (Is. xix, 21) 

But we can at the same time address ourselves to the saints in order 
to obtain more easily from God what we desire . . . Ignorance of 
many persons on this matter. 

A vow ought to be free and voluntary. 

“God desires voluntary sacrifices, not those that are forced from 
us.” (S. Bonav.) 


189 


190 


VOWS 


Observe that in a vow there is no other obligation than that by which 
he who makes it intends to bind himself, if the object of the vow is 
not otherwise commanded . . . Observe also that we cannot and should 
not make a vow to do that which we cannot do without injuring the 
rights of others, without breaking some law. 

Vows are very praiseworthy and meritorious, provided they are 
made with prudence. 

“If any one shall vow, it shall be holy, and cannot be changed.” 
(Levit. xxvii, 9) 

“The vows of the just are acceptable [to the Lord].” (Prov. 
xv, 8) 

Moreover, other things being equal, a good work performed under 
a vow is more meritorious than it would be if done without a vow. 
. . . Vows are pleasing to God: proofs, the great graces He often 
grants to those who invoke Him by means of vows. 

“Vow ye, and pay to the Lord, your God.” (Ps. lxxv, 12) 

Vows ought to be made with prudence, because if made impulsively, 
without reflection, without advice, they are often injurious,—they are, 
as it were, so many snares which the devil employs to trouble souls, 
both by the frequent transgression of these engagements, and by the 
dispensation from them, which is often asked for without sufficient 
reasons. Vows of this kind can only displease God. 

“An unfaithful and foolish promise displeases God.” (Eccle. v, 3) 

Before making a vow we should carefully examine what we intend 
to promise, . . . consider the inconveniences that may result, . . . 
consult our confessor. 

“My son, do thou nothing without counsel, and thou shalt not re¬ 
pent when thou hast done.” (Eccli. xxxii, 24) 

“If a woman vow any thing, and bind herself with an oath, being 
in her father’s house, and but yet a girl in age; ... if her father 
immediately as soon as he heard it gainsaid it, both her vow and her 
oath shall be void, neither shall she be bound to what she promised.” 
(Num. xxx, 4, 6) 

The person vowing therefore ought to be sui iuris. 


II. The Obligation that Arises from a Vow 

We must fulfil the vows we make, within the time fixed, or as soon 
as possible. 

This obligation is grave, unless there is question of some light mat¬ 
ter, or because of forgetfulness. 

“When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not 
delay to pay it; because the Lord thy God will require it. And if 


OBLIGATION OF VOWS 


191 

thou delay, it shall be reputed to thee for a sin.” (Deut. xxiii, 21) 

“That which is once gone out of thy lips, thou shalt observe, and 
shalt do as thou hast promised to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken 
with thy own will and with thy own mouth.” {Ibid., 23) 

“Having damnation [widows breaking their vows] because they 
have made void their first faith.” (1 Tim. v, 12) 

“Having made a vow thou hast bound thyself; thou art not per¬ 
mitted to do another thing.” (S. Aug.) 

A man is bound to keep the promises he has made to his fellow- 
man; with greater reason is he bound to keep those he has made to 
God . . . Would we not be guilty of ingratitude to God if we did 
not give Him the small thing we promised Him, especially if we have 
got from Him what we wanted? 

“If thou hast vowed anything to God, defer not to pay it; it is 
much better not to vow, than after the vow not to perform the thing 
promised.” (Eccle. v, 3, 4) 

“If any man make a vow to the Lord, or bind himself by an oath, 
he shall not make his word void, but shall fulfil all that he promised.” 
(Num. xxx, 3) 

God sometimes punishes visibly those who break their vows. A 
young man having failed to keep his vow, died in despair. 

“The Lord has appeared to me in anger saying: I called and you 
refused; go therefore into the gates of hell.” (S. Bonav.) 

The obligation arising out of a substantial vow passes on to a man’s 
heirs: a real or substantial vow is that by which a man binds himself 
to give such or such a thing. It is not the same with the obligation 
arising out of a purely personal vow. 

“I will pay Thee my vows, which my lips have uttered.” (Ps. 
lxv, 13) 

“I will pay my vows to the Lord before all His people.” (Ps. 
cxv, 14) 


III. Circumstances in which this Obligation Ceases 

There are circumstances in which this obligation is suspended, there 
are others in which it ceases altogether. 

1. When some notable change has taken place in the object of the 
vow, e. g., if the thing has become unlawful or impossible. 

2. When for good reasons the person who made the vow has ob¬ 
tained a dispensation from the Church, for the Church can dispense 
from vows. 

“Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth it shall be loosed also in 
heaven.” (Matth. xvi, 19) 


19 2 


VOWS 


“For what I have pardoned, if I have pardoned anything, for your 
sakes, I have done it in the person of Christ.” (2 Cor. ii, 10) 

But a dispensation from a vow would be useless if obtained under a 
false pretence. 

Never make a vow lightly. Be faithful to those you have made. 


XXXIII 


THE THIRD COMMANDMENT 

SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 

“Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.” (Exod. xx, 8) 

We are commanded by the third commandment to keep the Sunday 
holy. I. Institution of the Sunday. II. What is forbidden on Sun¬ 
day. III. What is commanded. 

I. INSTITUTION OF THE SUNDAY 

Man was created to know, love, and serve God. His duties and oc¬ 
cupations do not permit him to devote each day of the week in a 
special manner to the divine service. There must, therefore, be a fixed 
day. God has fixed it: “Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath 
day.” God wished that the Sabbath day should be as a token of the 
alliance which He made with man. 

“I gave them also My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them; 
and that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” 
(Ezech. xx, 12) 

On the part of God the sabbath is a sign of the desire He has for 
the homage of his servants, of the pleasure with which He receives it, 
of the reward to be bestowed on those who give it. On the part of 
man it is a public and solemn protestation of the honor, the service, 
and the submission which he owes to God. 

God wished that the seventh day should be consecrated to Him in 
memory of the creation of the world, which He performed in six days, 
and of His repose on the seventh day. The repose of the Lord is a 
figure of the eternal repose which He has prepared for His elect. 
Oh! how the thought of that everlasting rest should strengthen and 
encourage us! You are burdened with work, afflicted by suffering, 
be comforted yet a little time, and you will repose for all eternity in 
the bosom of God. . . . 

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, ... nor 
mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former 
things are passed away.” (Apoc. xxi, 4) 

The damned, on the other hand, shall be forever excluded from this 
rest. Listen to their cries of regret: 

193 


194 


THE THIRD COMMANDMENT 


“We fools . . . wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and de¬ 
struction, and have walked through hard ways, but the way of the 
Lord we have not known. What hath it profited us? . . . All these 
things are passed away like a shadow.” (Wis. v, 4 ff.) 

The Apostles, instructed by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy 
Ghost, substituted the Sunday for the sabbath or Saturday. 

Why did they do this ? Because it was on a Sunday that Christ rose 
from the dead, that the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles. In 
consecrating the Sunday by these solemn mysteries, God made clearly 
known His wish that in the new law the Sunday should belong to Him 
in a special manner, that it should be the Lord’s day, Dies Domini ; a 
holy day, a day wholly consecrated to His worship,—to gratitude for 
the benefits which all Christians have received from Him. There is, 
then, an obligation by which we are bound to sanctify the Sunday, and 
even more strictly bound than the Jews were to sanctify the sabbath 
because the mysteries of redemption and grace which were accom¬ 
plished on the Sunday are greater than those of creation. 

“The Lord’s day is placed above the sabbath in testimony of the 
resurrection.” (S. Aug.) 

“The resurrection of the Lord has promised us an eternal day, and 
has made holy for us that day which is called the Lord’s day. That 
day seems specially to belong to the Lord, because on it He rose from 
the dead.” (S. Aug.) 

“The sabbath has been consecrated to God, so that those who do not 
consecrate their whole life to Him, may devote to Him at least a very 
small portion of it.” (S. John Damasc.) 

II. WHAT IS FORBIDDEN ON SUNDAY 

“You shall do no servile work therein.” (Levit. xxiii, 25) 

Servile works are the works slaves used to do, such as digging, 
ploughing, etc. 

The chief reason for this prohibition is that God, wishing that the 
Sunday should be consecrated to His service, and knowing that covet¬ 
ousness would turn men aside from the fulfilment of this duty if they 
were allowed to work on that day, has forbidden them to do so. 

“Six days shalt thou labor and shalt do all thy work. But on the 
seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no 
work on it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, 
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within 
thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the 
sea, and all things that are in them, and rested upon the seventh day: 
therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.” (Exod. 
xx, 9-11) 


THE SANCTIFICATION OF SUNDAY 


195 


‘‘Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy 
God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched- 
out arm. Therefore hath He commanded thee that thou shouldst ob¬ 
serve the sabbath-day.” (Deut. v, 15) 

“Keep thou My sabbath: for it is holy unto you; he that shall pro¬ 
fane it shall be put to death: he that shall do any work in it, his soul 
shall perish out of the midst of his people.” (Exod. xxxi, 14) 

“Keep My sabbaths, . . . and I will give you rain in due seasons, 
and the ground shall bring forth its increase.” (Levit. xxvi, 2-4) 

Works of mercy and works of public or private necessity are al¬ 
lowed on Sunday. But the necessity must be real, the permission of 
the ecclesiastical authorities must be obtained, and those who take 
part in the work must assist at Mass when it is possible to do so. 

Unnecessary work on Sunday brings no gain; it does not remain un¬ 
punished, even in this life. (Examples.) 

What! You have worked on a Sunday and nothing has happened 
to you! You dare to say: “I have sinned, and what harm has be¬ 
fallen me?” (Eccli. v, 4). Rash man! you will not escape the justice 
of God: 

“For the Most High is a patient rewarder.” (Ibid.) 

“He is patient because He is eternal.” 

Hear and tremble: “I will chastise you seven times for your sins.” 
(Levit. xxvi, 8) 

“The seventh day shall be holy unto you, the sabbath and the rest 
of the Lord: he that shall do any work on it shall be put to death.” 
(Exod. xxxv, 2) 

Sinful works and dangerous amusements are specially forbidden on 

Sunday. . . 

“The Christian observes the true sabbath by abstaining from servile 

work, that is, from sin.” (S. Aug.) 

“They have leisure for trifles; and when God commands them to 
observe the sabbath, they employ themselves in doing those things that 
are forbidden on the sabbath.” (Ibid.) ... , „ , 

They have said: ‘‘Let us abolish all the festival days of God 
from the land.” (Ps. lxxiii, 8) 

The devil exults at this: 

“The enemies have seen her, and have mocked at her sabbaths. 


'^‘He who* does not sin, truly observes the sabbath.” (S. Aug.) 

‘‘It is better to spend the whole day digging than dancing at feasts, 
tor it is better to plough than to dance.” (S. Aug.) 

We cannot refrain from saying (and we could weep bitterly oyer the 
lisorder) that there is hardly any time, any day, when so many sms are 


196 


THE THIRD COMMANDMENT 


committed, when God is so dishonored and insulted, as on Sundays 
and holydays of obligation. You know it, frequenting public houses, 
intemperance, drunkenness, scandal, calumny, debauchery, indecency 
in dress . . . That is how a great number pass the Sunday. They 
reserve for this day all the sins which they have not time nor oppor¬ 
tunity to commit during the week. It is a dreadful thing to say, but 
it is none the less true: the feasts of the Lord are turned into feasts 
of the devil. I ask you, can these solemnities, these exterior practices 
of piety, soiled and mixed up as they are with all those abominations, 
be pleasing to God? Listen to what He says by the mouth of the 
prophet: “My soul hateth your new moons and your solemnities.” 
(Is. i, 14) 

“I hate and have rejected your festivities.” (Amos v, 21) 

“I will scatter upon your face the dung of your solemnities.” 
(Malach. ii, 3) 

“What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath- 
day?” (2 Esdras xiii, 17) 

“Oh! the miserable blindness of Christians who commit more and 
graver sins on Sunday than on all the other days of the week! For 
since they must work for their living on the other days of the week, 
on Sundays, when they should work for the soul and give themselves 
to God, they commit many sins.” (S. Antoninus) 

“It is certain that he who passes the Sunday in sin, cannot pass it 
in the service of God.” (Origen) 

“He who frees himself from the works of this world, so that he 
may have time for spiritual works, truly celebrates the sabbath of the 
Lord.” (S. Peter Damian) 


III. WHAT WE ARE COMMANDED TO DO ON SUNDAY 

1. To Hear Mass 

Every one who has come to the use of reason is obliged, under pain 
of mortal sin, to hear Mass with attention, respect, and devotion, on 
Sundays and holydays of obligation, unless dispensed from doing so 
by legitimate reasons. 

“The observance of the Lord’s Day should be so fervent that Chris¬ 
tians should not engage in anything except prayer and the solemnities 
of the Mass.” (Council of Trent) 

“On the Lord’s Day all worldly labor should cease and Christians 
should give themselves up to prayer, so as to expiate by their prayers 
on that day the faults committed during the week.” (S. Greg.) 


SANCTIFICATION OF THE SUNDAY 


197 


2. To Assist at the Offices of the Church 


It is becoming to assist at the evening devotions and the other divine 
offices celebrated on this day. The Church does not, it is true, impose 
this on us as a formal obligation; but she invites and strongly recom¬ 
mends us to be present during these holy exercises. That alone should 
induce a Christian to assist at them regularly. 

“That on these days, freed from worldly business, we may devote 
ourselves to the divine worship alone.” (S. Aug.) 

“But he who cannot do this, should pray at home, and should not 
neglect to fulfil his obligations to God, or to perform his duty.” (S. 
Aug.) 

3 .To Attend Instructions 


“They were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles.” (Acts 
ii, 42) 

“They were persevering with one mind in prayer.” (Acts i, 14) 


4. To Practice Works of Religion and Charity 

“Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: 
to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation.” (Jas. i, 27) 

“He celebrates the sabbath badly who neglects to do good works on 
that day.” (S. Aug.) 

“Gather it six days; but on the seventh day is the sabbath of the 
Lord. How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and 
My law? See that the Lord hath given you the sabbath.” (Exod. 
xvi, 26, 28, 29) 

“I gave them My sabbaths . . . And they have provoked Me, . . . 
and they have grievously violated My sabbaths. I said therefore that 
I would pour out My indignation upon them in the desert, and would 
consume them.” (Ezech. xx, 12, 13) . 

“Blessed is the man . . . that keepeth the sabbath from profaning 
it, that keepeth his hands from doing any evil.” (Is. lvi, 2) 


Divisions 

I 

Three things prevent Christians from sanctifying the Sunday as 
they should: (1) Covetousness, (2) debauchery, (3) idleness. 

1. Covetousness causes many to work on those days on the pretence 
of poverty or through fear of falling into it. Such people sin against 
the letter of the commandment, which forbids bodily labor on the days 
consecrated to God. 



198 


THE SECOND COMMANDMENT 


2. Debauchery makes many regard the Sunday as a day of amuse¬ 
ment and dissipation. These sin against the spirit of the precept, 
which forbids all dissipation that would take our thoughts away from 
God. 

3. Idleness induces people not to do anything to sanctify those days, 
and they live in forgetfulness of the duties of piety which God demands 
from them. They sin against the object of the commandment, which 
forbids the omission of good works. 

II 

God has commanded the Sunday to be kept holy for three reasons: 

1. Because He wishes us to give Him on that day the worship He 
demands from us; 

2. To induce men to remember His benefits; 

3. Because He pours out His graces more abundantly on these days 
than on others. 


XXXIV 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 

DUTIES OF CHILDREN TOWARDS THEIR PARENTS 

‘‘Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon 
the land.” (Exod. xx, 12) 

God has placed this precept, which commands us to honor our par¬ 
ents, immediately after those that impose on us the obligation of loving 
and serving Him, in order to make known to us that, after the su¬ 
preme honor and worship due to Him, there is nothing more necessary, 
more just, than the duties of children towards their parents. These 
duties are: I. Love; II. Respect; III. Obedience; IV. Assistance. 

1. LOVE 

In a certain sense this duty includes all the others. Love your 
parents; that is the cry of nature, of religion, of gratitude. 

“With thy whole heart honor thy father, and forget not the groan- 
ings of thy mother. Remember that thou hadst not been born but 
through them; and make a return to them as they have done for 
thee.” (Eccli. vii, 29, 30) 

“Thou shalt honor thy mother all the days of her life; for thou 
must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in 
her womb.” (Tob. iv, 3, 4) 

Should you not love your parents more than all else in the world 
after God? And how great love should you not have for them who 
have had for you a love so tender, so generous, so efficacious? All 
your thoughts, words, and acts should bear the stamp of your love 
for them; acts of attention, kindness, a respectful manner, gentle 
words, affectionate services, fervent prayers. But how monstrous it 
would be if you were so carried away by passion, selfishness, etc., as to 
hate those whom you should love so much!—so far as even to wish them 
dead! Do you not see unnatural children who bear the paternal yoke 
with impatience, who break out into murmurs, outrages, curses, male¬ 
dictions against their parents? 

Such violation of the holy love due to parents will never go un¬ 
punished. 


199 


200 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“He that curseth his father and mother, his lamp shall be put out 
in the midst of darkness. The inheritance gotten hastily in the begin¬ 
ning, in the end shall be without a blessing.” (Prov. xx, 20, 21) 

Nevertheless, filial love has its limits. 

“He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of 
Me.” (Matth. x, 37) 

“How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be 
about My Father’s business?” (Luke ii, 49) 

“Love your parents, but give the first place to God.” (S. Aug.) 

“You must honor your father, but you must obey God; the genera¬ 
tor must be loved, but the Creator must be preferred to him.” (S. 
Aug.) 


II. RESPECT 

Have for your parents the deference which nature and religion de¬ 
mand. To have respect for your parents is to conduct yourselves 
towards them in a manner loving, modest, affectionate, and submissive. 

“Honor thy father in work and word and all patience; that a blessing 
may come upon thee from him, and his blessing may remain in the 
latter end.” (Eccli. iii, 9, 10) 

“He that feareth the Lord honoreth his parents, and will serve them 
as his masters that brought him into the world.” (Eccli. iii, 8) 

“A mild answer [of a child] breaketh the wrath [of a father].” 
(Prov. xv, 1) 

“The glory of a man is from the honor of his father, and a father 
without honor is the disgrace of his son.” (Eccli. iii, 13) 

“If his [the father’s] understanding fail, have patience with him, 
and despise him not when thou art in thy strength: for the relieving 
of thy father shall not be forgotten.” (Eccli. iii, 15) 

The sins opposed to filial respect are contempt, mockery, reproaches, 
etc. How many there are who, because of these faults, are wanting 
in respect to their parents! Children, who do not respect your par¬ 
ents, you pierce the heart of her who bore you, you hurry to the grave 
the gray hairs of your father and mother. There is hardly a light 
fault in this matter; every fault is grave, criminal. The sins against 
the fourth commandment are crimes that deserve the vengeance of 
Heaven and earth. 

“He that striketh his father or mother, shall be put to death. He 
that curseth his father or mother, shall die the death.” (Exod. xxi, 

15, 17) 

“The eye that mocketh at his father, let the ravens of the brooks 
pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.” (Prov. xxx, 17) 

Cham dared to cast a glance of mockery at his father, Noe: 


DUTIES OF CHILDREN TO PARENTS 


201 


“Cursed be Chanaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his breth- 
ren.” (Gen. ix, 25) 

“Grieve not your father in his life.” (Eccli. iii, 14) 

“He is cursed of God that angers his mother.” (Eccli. iii, 18) 
“Glory not in the dishonor of thy father; for his shame is no glory 
to thee.” (Eccli. iii, 12) 

“He that afflicteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is in¬ 
famous and unhappy.” (Prov. xix, 26) 

“Honor for God and respect for parents are the ornaments of 
youth.” (S. Ambr.) 


III. OBEDIENCE 


Obey your parents promptly and joyfully in everything that is not 
contrary to the law of God. 

This obedience is commanded by nature, by the law of God, by 
justice, by the interests of the children themselves. 

“My son, keep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not 


the law of thy mother.” (Prov. vi, 20) 

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is just.” (Eph. 


vi, 7) . „ , . 

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing 
to the Lord.” (Col. iii, 20) 

“For they watch as being to render an account of your souls.” 


(Heb. xiii, 17) 

“A fool laugheth at the instruction of his father; but he that re¬ 
garded reproofs shall become prudent.” (Prov. xv, 5) 

“Men shall be lovers of themselves . . . disobedient to parents. 
„ . . Now these avoid.” (2 Tim. iii, 2, 5) 

Obedience springs from love: 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 
xiv, 15) 

Prompt obedience: 

“Joseph answered his father: I am ready.” (Gen. xxxvii, 14) 
The young Tobias replied: 

“I will do all things, father, which thou hast commanded.” (Tob. 


v, 1) 

The example of Jesus Christ: 

“He was subject to them.” (Luke ii, 51) 

But what is to be said of the obedience of those children who mur¬ 
mur, grumble, and complain, when asked by their parents to do any¬ 
thing, and who obey with reluctance? Sulky children! you do not 
love your parents, since you obey them so unwillingly! Listen, and 
understand what punishment you deserve: 


202 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“If a man have a stubborn and unruly son, who will not hear the 
commandments of his father or mother, and being corrected, slighteth 
obedience; they shall take him and bring him to the ancients of his 
city, and to the gate of judgment, and shall say to them: This our 
son is rebellious and stubborn, he slighteth hearing our admonitions, 
he giveth himself to revelling, and to debauchery and banquetings. 
The people of the city shall stone him; and he shall die, that you may 
take away the evil out of the midst of you, and all hearing it may be 
afraid.” (Deut. xxi, 18-21) 

In everything that is not contrary to the will of God, “we ought to 
obey God rather than man.” (Acts v, 29) 

“It is the nature of duty or piety to be cruel in this matter.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“We must honor our parents; but it is no sin or neglect of filial 
duty to leave our parents for the purpose of preaching the word of 
God.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is impious to despise or abandon one’s mother; but to abandon 
her in order to devote oneself to the love and service of Christ, is 
not impious, but very meritorious.” (S. Bern.) 

IV. ASSISTANCE 

Give them all the spiritual and temporal help they need as far as 
you can do so. 

1. Spiritual help: prayer, zeal and solicitude for their salvation. 
Children, be zealous for the perfection and salvation of your parents. 
There are circumstances in which prudent children become the guard¬ 
ians of their parents’ souls; when the parents have bad habits that en¬ 
danger their salvation. Then indeed Christian children can and ought 
to make respectful representations to their parents, but in a spirit of 
sweetness and filial tenderness. The zeal of children should be most 
earnest when death is at hand; they should speak to their parents in 
a spirit of love and respect, recalling to their minds the thought of the 
future life, see that they receive the last Sacraments in time. They 
should carry out the last wishes of their parents, pray for them, and 
get others to pray for them after death. 

2. Temporal help. The wise man says to you: “Son, support the 
old age of thy father.” (Eccli. iii, 14). “Make a return to them as 
they have done for thee.” (Eccli. vii, 30) 

If your parents are in want, you owe them nourishment, main¬ 
tenance, comfort in their old age, their infirmities, their illness. It 
is your duty to give them the helping hand that will support their tot¬ 
tering footsteps. Ungrateful children, would you be so barbarous 


DUTIES OF CHILDREN TO PARENTS 


203 


as to refuse to prolong the life of those who have given life to you? 

“Of what an evil fame is he that forsaketh his father; and he is 
cursed of God that angereth his mother.” (Eccli iii, 18) 

“O son, support your parents; you owe to them what you have, you 
owe to them what you are. If you have not supported them, you have 
killed them.” (S. Ambr.) 

And yet there are children who dare to abandon their parents in 
old age, and say to them: “The place is too strait for me, make me 
room to dwell in.” (Is. xlix, 20) 

There are some who go so far as to reproach their parents with 
living too long! Monsters! You are then weary of being in the 
company of those who should be dearer to you than all else in this 
world! 

By making their old age sad, you snatch from them the breath of 
life that remains to them! You push them into the grave. There 
are children who carry their hatred of their parents so far as to refuse 
to visit them, even on the bed of death,—so far as to deprive them¬ 
selves of the consolation of receiving their parents’ last sigh, and this 
because they imagine that their parents have left more money or prop¬ 
erty to other children, or because there is nothing else to be got from 


them!' 

“He that stealeth anything from his father, or from his mother; 
and saith: This is no sin, is the partner of a murderer.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 24) 

“Remember thy father and thy mother, for thou sittest in the midst 
of great men: lest God forget thee in their sight, and thou, by thy 
daily custom, be infatuated and suffer reproach: and wish that thou 
hadst not been born, and curse the day of thy nativity.” (Eccli. xxiii, 
18, 19) 

“He who acted wickedly towards his father deserves to have a wicked 
son.” (S. Ambr.) 

“In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again.” 
(Mark iv, 27) 

“Cursed be he that honoreth not his father and mother.” (Deut. 
xxvii, 16) 

“The mother’s curse rooteth up the foundation.” (Eccli. iii, n) 

On the contrary: “The father’s blessing establisheth the houses of 
the children.” (Eccli. iii, 11) 

“He that honoreth his mother is as one that layeth up a treasure. 
He that honoreth his father shall have joy in his own children, and 
in the day of his prayer he shall be heard. He that honoreth his 
father shall enjoy a long life.” (Eccli. iii, 5-7) 


204 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“Honor thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment 
with a promise. That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest 
be long-lived upon the earth.” (Eph. vi, 2-3) 


Divisions 

I 

Children ought to love, honor, respect, and serve their parents, 

1. Because to do so is an act of justice: “Children, obey your par¬ 
ents in the Lord: for this is just.” (Eph. vi, 1) 

2 . Because God wills it: “Children, obey your parents in all things; 
for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” (Coloss, iii, 20) 

3. Because gratitude obliges them to do so: “Honor thy father, and 
forget not the groanings of thy mother. Remember that thou hadst 
not been born but through them; and make a return to them as they 
have done for thee.” (Eccli. vii, 29, 30) 

II 

1. Children should assist their parents in their necessities, their old 
age, their illness. 

2. They ought to conceal the faults and imperfections of their 
parents. 

3. They ought to bear with the bad temper of their parents, with 
their impatience, rebukes, remembering what trouble they themselves 
caused their parents in childhood. 


Ill 

1. God often permits parents to be treated by their children as they 
themselves treated their own parents. 

2. As a long life is the reward of respect shown to parents, so a 
sudden death is often the punishment of rebellious children. 

Cham, having seen his father in a rather indecent state, mocked 
him, and wished his brothers to join in the mockery. He was cursed. 
Absalom, who, after killing his brother, had the ingratitude to rebel and 
take up arms against his father, was punished in a striking manner; 
having lost the battle, he was seeking safety in flight, when he got 
entangled in the branches of an oak tree and was pierced through the 
heart with a lance, leaving a terrible example of the chastisement of 
ungrateful children. 



XXXV 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 

DUTIES OF PARENTS TOWARDS THEIR CHILDREN 

“And you, fathers, provoke not your children to anger; but bring them 
up in the discipline and correction of the Lord/’ (Eph. vi, 4) 

Parents should provide for their children those things that are nec¬ 
essary for the welfare both of body and soul. I. Parents must strive 
to educate their children and to settle them in life; II. They must 
train them up in the practice of piety and the love of virtue; in the 
discipline and correction of the Lord. 

I. PARENTS MUST STRIVE TO EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN AND 
SETTLE THEM IN LIFE 

The burden of the married state is heavier than is commonly be¬ 
lieved ; and S. Paul assures us that those who enter it will not fail to 
meet with many afflictions and sorrows. 

“Such shall have tribulations of the flesh. But I spare you.” 
(1 Cor. vii, 28) 

Afflictions and bodily pains. Mothers, you know that only too well 
—pains of child-birth, continual anxiety in bearing with the infirmities 
inseparable from infancy—these are your occupations and your 
crosses. . . . Sorrow and trouble of mind; these are even greater than 
those of the body, because, without speaking of the uneasiness often 
caused by their conduct, is not the obligation imposed on you of bring¬ 
ing up your children in a Christian manner, a source of very great 
anxiety? Nevertheless, your state of life obliges you to this ... and 
with regard to the body that education includes three things: (1) food, 
(2) maintenance, and (3) settlement in life. 

1. Food 

God Himself, our common Father, the Model of all parents, nour¬ 
ishes His children! 

“I have brought up children.” (Is. i, 2) 

“He has given food to those that fear Him.” (Ps. cx, 4) 

But how does He nourish us? Besides the material bread which 

20s 


206 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


Divine Providence supplies to us each day, Jesus Christ gives us His 
own Body and Blood as nourishment: 

“I am become like to a pelican in the wilderness.” (Ps. ci, 7) 

How guilty are those fathers and mothers who, addicted to drunken¬ 
ness, gambling, and debauchery, reduce their children to beggary! 
They resemble the ostrich: 

“Even the sea-monsters have drawn out the breast, they have given 
suck to their young; the daughter of my people is cruel, like the 
ostrich in the desert.” (Lam. iv, 3) 

“The ostrich . . . leaveth her eggs on the earth. . . . She forget- 
teth that the foot may tread upon them, or that the beast of the field 
may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though 
they were not hers.” (Job xxxix, 14-16) 

Is not this what you do, unnatural fathers and mothers? You take 
no more trouble about your children than if they were strangers. 

“Let him who has children bring them up in the purity of God, not 
in the uncleanness of the devil. What will it profit him to have a son, 
to nourish and love him, if he bring him up for eternal torments?” 
(S. Aug.) 


2. Maintenance 

“For neither ought the children to lay up for the parents, but the 
parents for the children.” (2 Cor. xii, 14) 

Children should hand over to their parents what they earn; but the 
parents ought to clothe them and maintain them decently, according to 
their position, without countenancing either pride or luxury in them. 

“But having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are 
content.” (1 Tim. vi, 8) 

3. Settlement in Life 

There are parents who neglect and abandon their children. There 
are some who allow their children to lead idle and dissolute lives: that 
is a very grave fault. 

“Hast thou children? Instruct them and bow down their neck from 
their childhood.” (Eccli. vii, 25) 

Children must be instructed, accustomed to work, taught a trade, 
and directed in the choice of a state of life. 

There is another excess, that of those parents who, in order to en¬ 
rich their children, become guilty of avarice and injustice. 

Unhappy parents! They believe they are making their children 
rich: they are deceived; because 

“Evil shall come upon thee, and thou shalt not know the rising 
thereof.” (Is. xlvii, 11) 


DUTIES OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN 207 

Then there is the culpable preference of parents for one or other of 
their children. 

The partiality which Jacob showed for his virtuous son, Joseph, 
cost him many tears and much sorrow. 

“Let the same love be bestowed on children who are united by the 
same bonds of nature.” (S. Ambr.) 

In settling their children in life parents should not carry their views 
too far. They should take special care to see that their children become 
good Christians. Like the parents of the chaste Susanna: 

“Her parents being just, had instructed their daughter according to 
the law.” (Dan. xiii, 3) 

“Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and show not 
thy countenance gay towards them. Marry thy daughter well, and 
thou shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.” (Eccli. vii, 
26,27) 

II. PARENTS MUST TRAIN UP THEIR CHILDREN IN THE PRACTICE 
OF PIETY AND THE LOVE OF VIRTUE 

With regard to the spiritual needs, parents should instruct their 
children and give them a good example. 

1. Instruction 

Fathers and mothers are the guardians and protectors of those whom 
Jesus Christ came to save. They should instruct their children: 

“Be apostles in your family; the Apostle calls this a domestic 
church; govern and guide this church.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Instruct thy son, and he shall refresh thee, and shall give delight 
to thy soul.” (Prov. xxix, 17) 

This obligation is so important that God renewed it constantly in 
the Old Law: 

“These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart; 
and thou shalt teach them to thy children.” (Deut. vi, 6, y). “What 
shalt thou teach? We were bond-slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the 
Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.” {Ibid., 21) 

Why are those admonitions so often repeated in the Holy Scriptures? 
To make known to you, parents, that your first and greatest care 
should be to teach your children the Commandments of God and the 
truths of religion; that you should instruct them, not in the maxims and 
customs of the world, but in the importance of their eternal salvation, 
in their duty as Christians. 

Parents should say to their children, as the royal prophet: 

“Come, children, hearken to me, I will teach you the fear of the 
Lord.” (Ps. xxxiii, 12) 


208 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the 
law of thy mother/’ (Prov. i, 8) 

“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you 
may know prudence.” (Prov. iv, i) 

Children should always bear in mind the lessons learned from their 
parents. 

“Our fathers have declared to us.” (Ps. xliii, 2) 

“Therefore the lips of parents are books.” (S. Chrys.) May 
they be good books! 

“He that instructeth his son shall be praised in him, and shall glory 
in him in the midst of them of his household.” (Eccli. xxx, 2) 
“Instruct thy son and labor about him.” (Ibid., 13) 

“The father shall make the truth known to the children.” (Is. 
xxxviii, 19) 

“He that spareth the rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him cor- 
recteth him betimes.” (Prov. xiii, 24) 

“The insolence of children is traced back to the negligence of 
parents.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Those who instruct their children badly should be called murder¬ 
ers, not parents.” (S. Bern.) 

2. Correction 

Of all periods of life youth is that in which help is most required. 
If young people are abandoned to themselves, what will become of 
them? That is a mystery even for the wise man: 

“Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant 
of: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, 
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man in 
youth.” (Prov. xxx, 18, 19) 

Vigilance must be combined with correction. 

“The father waketh for the daughter when no man knoweth, and 
the care for her taketh away his sleep, when she is young, lest she pass 
away the flower of her age, and when she is married, lest she should 
be hateful.” (Eccli. xlii, 9) 

“The intimate friendship of a man for a woman is that of a wolf 
for a lamb.” (S. Bern.) 

“We are generally the last to perceive the evils of our home, and 
we are ignorant of the vices of our children, vices that are spoken of 
by our neighbors.” (S. Jerome) 

“On a daughter that turneth not away herself, set a strict watch; 
lest finding an opportunity she abuse herself.” (Eccli. xxvi, 13) 
Parents should correct their children with mildness. 

“Instruct such a one in a spirit of meekness.” (Gal. vi, 1). But 


DUTIES OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN 209 

if mild measures fail, let them not neglect severer remedies: 

“He that spareth the rod, hateth his son; but he that loveth him, 
correcteth him betimes.” (Prov. xiii, 24) 

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, and the rod of correction 
shall drive it away.” (Prov. xxii, 15) 

“Rebuke them sharply.” (Tit. i, 13) 

“Withhold not correction from a child; for if thou strike him with 
the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod and de¬ 
liver him from hell.” (Prov. xxiii, 13, 14) 

“A horse not broken becometh stubborn, and a child left to himself 
will become headstrong. Give thy son his way, and he shall make thee 
sorrowful. Laugh not with him lest thou have sorrow. . . . Give 
him not liberty in his youth. . . . Bow down his neck while he is 
young, and beat his sides while he is a child, lest he grow stubborn 
and regard thee not, and so be a sorrow of heart to thee.” (Eccli. 
xxx, 8-12) 

“He that loveth his son, frequently chastiseth him, that he may re¬ 
joice in his latter end, and not grope after the doors of his neighbors.” 
(Ibid., 1) 

“Such as I love I rebuke and chastise.” (Apoc. iii, 19) 

“The more parents love their children, the more they should urge 
them to lead a good life.” (S. Aug.) 

“Young people are recalled from a life of sin more by fear than by 
reason.” (S. Ambr.) 

“What son is there whom the father does not correct?” (Hebr. 
xii, 7) 

S. Augustine attributes the disorders of his youth to the weakness 
and mistaken kindness of his father: 

“You did not care, father, how I should grow up, or whether I 
would be chaste, if only I was eloquent. The weeds of lust sprang up 
in my heart, and there was no one to root them out.” 

The same thing happens to-day. Parents excuse the faults of their 
children; sometimes they praise them or pretend not to notice them. 
They always think their children perfect. “There is no hand to root 
out”; and what happens? These children fall into the greatest sins. 
Moreover, S. Augustine, who blames the mistaken fondness his father 
had for him, praises the piety of his mother, whose feelings were very 
different: 

“She so brought up her children that she was disturbed as often as 
she saw they were wandering from Thee [O God].” 

There, fathers and mothers, is the rule you are to follow. God has 
given you children: you should watch over them, inspire them with a 
love of virtue and a horror of vice. 


210 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“It cannot happen that the son of so many tears should perish.” 
(S. Ambr. quoted by S. Aug.) 

“A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will 
not depart from it.” (Prov. xxii, 6) 

“Youth is pliable and soft as wax, which easily receives the image 
of whatever forms are impressed on it, and yields without difficulty.” 
(S. Basil) 

“The rod and reproof give wisdom; but the child that is left to his 
own will bringeth his mother to shame.” (Prov. xxix, 15) 

“Parents who neither correct nor instruct their children shall have 
to answer for these children’s sins.” (Origen) 

“The mistaken gentleness of the father produces a most pernicious 
effect on the son, who shall afterwards justly feel the severity of God.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“O sad liberty! O dreadful ruin of children! O deadly love of 
parents! They say they love the children whom they cause to be 
murdered; they say they love those for whom they are preparing 
eternal misery.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Good Example 

Children have no more frequent or familiar conversations than those 
held with their parents, who are at the same time their teachers and 
the witnesses of their lives. 

“Children have their parents as teachers and witnesses of their 
lives.” (S. Bern.) 

As teachers, parents should instruct and correct their children; as 
eye-witnesses they should give them edification and not do anything 
that would scandalize them. 

“The greatest respect is due to the child.” 

“Let the wanton time of youths be kept far from her. Let her not 
understand foul language; let her be ignorant of worldly songs; let 
her not learn to swear; let her consider deceit a crime, and let her be 
ignorant of the world; let her live an angelic life. Let her not see 
anything in you or in her father that would cause her to sin. Do you, 
parents, be careful of your spotless child, and remember that she can 
be taught more by example than by precept.” (Advice of S. Jerome 
to a lady regarding the education of her daughter.) 

“In your conversation teach them [your children] to avoid what is 
evil, to desire what is good, to hate sin, to fear judgment, and to love 
God.” (Euseb.) By their bad example parents draw the malediction 
of God on themselves and their children. 

“Let his children be carried about vagabonds, and beg; and let them 
be cast out of their dwellings. May the usurer search all his sub- 


DUTIES OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN 211 


stance; and let strangers plunder his labors.” (Ps. cviii, 10, 11) 

“They shall suffer not only for their own sins, but also for those 
their children have committed.” (S. Chrys.) 

Influence of the Bad Example of Parents: 

“Their children also and grandchildren, as their fathers did, so do 
they unto this day, serving idols.” (4 Kings xvii, 41) 

“I have foretold unto him that I will judge his house for ever, for 
iniquity, because he knew that his sons did wickedly, and did not 
chastise them.” (1 Kings iii, 13) 

The children will one day turn against their parents: 

“We have done nothing ourselves, the perfidy of others has ruined 
us; we feel that our parents are murderers.” (S. Cypr.) 

“They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils.” (Ps. 
cv, 37) 

“Rejoice not in ungodly children, if they be multiplied; neither be 
delighted in them if the fear of God be not with them. Far better 
is one that feareth God than a thousand ungodly children. And it is 
better to die without children than to leave ungodly children.” (Eccli. 
xvi, 1, 3, 4) . 

Happy are those parents who at the hour of death will be able to 
repeat the words of our Divine Saviour: 

“Father, of them whom Thou hast given me, I have not lost any 
one.” (John xviii, 9) 

“While I was with them I kept them in Thy name. Those whom 
Thou gavest me have I kept; and none of them is lost but the son of 
perdition. ... I have given them Thy word.” (John xvii, 12, 14) 


Divisions 

I 

There are three things that should compel parents to bring up their 
children well: 

1. The glory of God, who in giving them children, imposed on them 
the obligation of bringing up these children in His service; 

2. The good of society, to which they ought to make themselves 

useful; . 

3. The welfare of both children and parents, since the happiness or 
misery of both depends on the education given to the children. 

II 


Parents Owe Their Children: 

1. Before birth, love and care, preserving their life and avoiding 



212 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


everything that might injure them; and after birth they should procure 
for them the spiritual life of the soul, and give them what they require 
to preserve the life of the body; 

2. Education, correction, and good example. 


XXXVI 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 

DUTIES OF SERVANTS TOWARDS THEIR MASTERS 

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the 
flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ.” 
(Eph. vi, 5 ) 

God wishes that order should reign everywhere. Masters and serv¬ 
ants have their reciprocal duties and rights; hence the harmony in 
society. 

“There is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained 
of God.” (Rom. xiii, i) 

Servants should: I. Respect their masters; II. Obey them in every¬ 
thing that is in accordance with the law of God; III. Serve them faith¬ 
fully. 

I. SERVANTS SHOULD RESPECT THEIR MASTERS 

They are their superiors in the order of Divine Providence. 

“Whosoever are servants under the yoke, let them count their mas¬ 
ters worthy of all honor; lest the name of the Lord and His doctrine 
be blasphemed.” (i Tim. vi, i) 

The authority which they have over you comes from God: All 
power is from God. You should honor them with an interior respect, 
seeing in them the person of Jesus Christ: “Serve ye the Lord 
Christ.” (Coloss, iii, 2, 4). . . . With an outward respect, not speak¬ 
ing badly of them. 

You sin against the respect due to them when you answer them with 
insolence, when you break out into insulting or slanderous language 
against them, when you spread abroad lies and calumnies about them. 

“The Son of Man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minis¬ 
ter.” (Matth. xx, 28) 

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being 
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but 
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.” (Phil, ii, 5-7) 

“I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of 
Him that sent Me.” (John vi, 38) 

Respect your masters, whoever they may be. 

213 


214 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the 
good and gentle, but also the froward. For this is thankworthy, if 
for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrong¬ 
fully.” (i Pet. ii, 18, 19) 


II. SERVANTS SHOULD OBEY THEIR MASTERS 

This is evidently a duty of justice which religion imposes on them. 
They have devoted themselves to the service of their masters, that is 
an agreement between both, in consideration of the wages given. 

“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh.” 
(Coloss, iii, 22) 

With docility, with pleasure, promptly, without murmuring; in the 
absence of the master as well as in his presence. 

“Not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but as the serv¬ 
ants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart, with a good will 
serving as to the Lord, and not to men.” (Ephes. vi, 6, 7) 

With a good heart according to justice and honesty: 

“Work from the heart as to the Lord and not to men; in the sim¬ 
plicity of heart, fearing God, . . . knowing that you shall receive of 
the Lord the reward of inheritence.” (Coloss, iii, 22-24) 

“Wherefore be subject of necessity, not only for wrath, but also for 
conscience sake.” (Rom. xiii, 5) 

“You who have masters according to the flesh, who owe any condi¬ 
tion of service, obey your masters and love them from your heart, 
not as eye-servers, but doing your service through love; because God 
has both placed them to govern you, and you to serve them.” (S. 
Aug.) 

But if the commands of the master are contrary to the law of God, 
then you must obey God rather than men. 

“We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts v, 29) 

“If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, 
judge ye.” (Acts iv, 19) 

“A servant is not bound to obey his master in anything in which he 
is not subject to the master.” (S. Thom.) 

“If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Gal. 
i, 10) 

“How, then, can I do this wicked thing and sin against my God?” 
(Gen. xxxix, 9) 

“I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the God of heaven.” (Jonas, 

b 9) 

“Hear you, whoever you may be, that are in temporal service, and 
are bound by law to the dominion of another, in whatever condition 


DUTIES OF SERVANTS TO THEIR MASTERS 215 

you find yourself, be a servant and be free; one is a servant by hum¬ 
bly obeying; one is free by faithfully serving.” (S. Aug.) 

III. SERVANTS SHOULD SERVE THEIR MASTERS FAITHFULLY 

Fidelity is so much the mark of a good servant, that when we say: 
He is a faithful servant, we seem to say all that can be said. What is 
this fidelity? It is a zeal for the interest of your masters that will 
induce you not to do them any injury, nor to allow others to do so, 
either in their property, their person, or their reputation. 

“A faithful and wise servant, whom the Lord hath appointed over 
his family.” (Matth. xxiv, 45) 

A servant ought to be reserved in his conversation, careful in the use 
of food, faithful in his work, in preserving the property of his master. 

“Exhort servants to be obedient to their masters, in all things pleas¬ 
ing, not gainsaying; not defrauding, but in all things showing good 
fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all 
things.” (Tit. ii, 9, 10) 

“As vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard 
to them that sent him.” (Prov. x, 26) 

“While you are servant to man, think with confidence of God. Ob¬ 
serve the commandments of God, always obey the will of God, expect 
from God the reward of a good will, guard the faith, avoid fraud, 
know that God will reward you for all your work.” (S. Aug.) 

A servant should not steal anything from his master, even as a 
matter of compensation or indemnity. 

“Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a 
penny? Take what is thine and go thy way; I will also give to this 
last even as to thee.” (Matth. xx, 13, 14) 

But if you should faithfully guard the property of your masters, 
you should guard even more faithfully their honor and their reputa¬ 
tion. Discretion is an essential point of fidelity. Say nothing to 
others of what passes in the house. If you observe faults, if there 
are quarrels, disunion between husband and wife, maintain a strict 
silence on all these matters. If you remark in your masters any ill- 
will against another family, if you hear anything in conversation on 
this subject, be very careful not to mention the matter to others. Be 
equally reserved with servants of other families. 

Finally, keep a careful watch over children confided to your care. 
What a horrible crime it would be if you yourselves were the corrup¬ 
ters of their innocence! . . . “Wicked servant!” 

“If you give good service to your masters, God will give you eternal 
freedom.” (S. Aug.) 

“Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been 


216 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matth. xxv, 23) 


Divisions 

I 

1. The fidelity of servants consists not only in their not taking away 
the property of their masters, but also in managing matters with care 
and economy. They are wanting in fidelity to their masters when they 
do not avoid doing them wrong, when they do not defend their repu¬ 
tation, when they make known their masters’ faults, or what takes 
place in the house, when they waste the time that should be employed 
in their masters’ work. 

2. They owe to their masters obedience, which should be respectful, 
prompt, entire, without arguing, without vexation, but with pleasure, 
remembering that in the person of their masters they are obeying 
God: “Serving the Lord,” etc. 


II 

The condition of servants is very helpful to them in the work of 
their salvation, 

1. Because they are in that condition by the will of God, who gives 
them all the graces necessary for their state; 

2. Because their state is more in conformity with the life of Jesus 
Christ, who came on earth “to minister to others, not to be ministered 
to , 

3. Because this state leads more directly to Heaven by humiliations, 
poverty, and labor. 



XXXVII 

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


DUTIES OF MASTERS TOWARDS THEIR SERVANTS 

“Masters, do to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that 
you also have a master in heaven.” (Col. iv, i) 

In society everything should be reciprocal. This is why S. Paul, 
after saying to servants: “Obey your masters,” says to the latter; 
“And you, masters, do to your servants what is just and equal.” . . . 
Masters ought therefore to discharge towards their servants: I. The 
duties of justice; II. The duties of charity; III. The duties of piety. 

I. DUTIES OF JUSTICE 

Masters discharge these duties by giving to their servants the food 
and wages due to them. 


i. Food 

If servants who engage in the service of a master, contract a strict 
obligation, which binds in conscience, to serve him, the master on his 
part is bound by the same contract to give them suitable food and 
to pay them adequate wages. To refuse them nourishing food while 
they are overwhelmed with work, is a sin not only against charity but 
also against justice. 

“The workman is worthy of his meat.” (Matth. x, io) 

“Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the 
floor.” (Deut. xxv, 4) 

“Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the 
corn.” (1 Cor. ix, 9) 

“He that taketh away the bread gotten by sweat, is like him that 
killeth his neighbor.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 26) 

“Some one wishes to have many servants, but does not allow them 
to have even the necessary sustenance. Do you suppose, I ask, that 
these men are made of stone?” (S. Chrys.) 

They should see that the servants work: 

“Send him to work, that he be not idle; for idleness hath taught 
much evil.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 28, 29) 

But always in due moderation. 


217 


2l8 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


2. Wages 

We do not generally find masters who absolutely refuse to give 
wages to their servants; but how many there are who defer the pay¬ 
ment of such wages for a long time, and so cause inconvenience and 
suffering! How many there are who withhold part of their servants’ 
wages under the false pretext that they have not been well served, or 
under the pretext of some loss which they unreasonably attribute to 
their servants! How many who, after having profited by the serv¬ 
ants’ work during a busy season, send them away for some light 
fault, and at a time when they cannot find a means of making a living. 

“The laborer is worthy of his reward.” (i Tim. v, 18) 

“The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with 
thee until the morning.” (Levit. xix, 13) 

“Thou shalt not refuse the hire of the needy, and the poor, whether 
he be thy brother, or a stranger; . . . but thou shalt pay him the 
price of his labor the same day, before the going down of the sun, 
because he is poor, and with it maintaineth his life; lest he cry against 
thee to the Lord, and it be reputed to thee for a sin.” (Deut. xxiv, 

14,15) 

“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his 
hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” 
(Tob. iv, 15) 

“He that sheddeth blood and he that defraudeth the laborer of his 
hire are brothers.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 27) 

“Behold the hire of the laborers, who have reaped down your fields, 
which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth; and the cry of them 
hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” (Jas. v, 4) 

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which 
shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted.” {Ibid, v, 1, 2) 

II. DUTIES OF CHARITY 

This virtue should induce masters to assist their servants when 
they are in need or sick. If we are obliged to help the poor from 
whom we have not received any service, much more is a master bound 
to help in their poverty the servants who have sacrificed their health 
in his service. 

If your servants then are in poverty or sickness, you should reach 
out to them a helping hand, especially if a servant has lost his health 
through your having imposed too much work on him ? It is no longer 
charity alone, but also justice which obliges you to assist him. 

“If thou have a faithful servant, let him be to thee as thy own 
soul; treat him as a brother.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 31) 


DUTIES OF MASTERS TO THEIR SERVANTS 219 


“For he is our brother and our flesh.” (Gen. xxxvii, 27) 

“The just regardeth the lives of his beasts.” (Prov. xii, 10) 

And masters abandon their sick servants! 

“The bowels of the wicked are cruel.” (Prov. xii, 10) 

Example of charity: the centurion. 

“My servant lieth at home sick of the palsy.” (Matth. viii, 6) 
“He was dear to him.” (Luke vii, 2) 

This charity also obliges you to bear patiently with the faults of 
your servants; to treat them kindly and with mildness ... It must 
be admitted that the lot of masters with certain servants is not to be 
envied; some servants are lazy and idle; others are of a violent temper 
that breaks out at the least word of correction; others are wanting in 
respect, or cause trouble and sorrow by spreading scandal. Very few 
serve their masters with affection. But what is to be done with them? 
To send them away when they deserve it, is what prudence suggests, 
and even religion demands in certain circumstances. But to be con¬ 
stantly changing servants is sometimes to incur greater trouble and 
inconvenience than those one wishes to avoid. Masters therefore have 
need of charity to enable them to bear with the faults and short¬ 
comings of their servants. 

Masters are bound to correct their servants; but in doing so they 
should carefully avoid using harsh and bitter words, or appearing 
to treat them as slaves. Remember that your servants are your 
brethren in the sight of God. Your position gives you the right 
to command them with authority, but not to insult them in your 


pride. 

“Why is earth and ashes [the master] proud?” (Eccli. x, 9) 

“Did not He that made me in the womb, make him also?” (Job 


xxxi, 15) 

“He that troubleth his own house, shall inherit the winds. 


a 


(Prov. 


xi, 29) 

“Be not as a lion in thy house terrifying them of thy household, and 
oppressing them that are under thee. (Eccli. iv, 35) 

“For they are my servants . . . afflict them not by might, but fear 

thy God.” (Levit. xxv, 42, 43) , , 

“Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy soul, defraud him not ol 
liberty, nor leave him needy.” (Eccli. vii, 23) 

“And you, masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threat- 
enings: knowing that the Lord both of them and you is in heaven: and 
there is no respect of persons with him. (Ephes. vi, 9) 

“Do thou receive him [Onesimus] ... not now as a servant, but 
instead of a servant, a most dear brother.” (Philem in 12 16) 

“We must treat servants as we treat ourselves. (Isid. of Pelus.; 


220 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 

“When we are angry with our servants, let us consider our own 
sins. ,, (S. Basil) 

“You demand service from your servant, and you, a man, compel 
a man to obey you; and, miserable man, when you exercise this power, 
you refuse to acknowledge your Lord.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Even the worst servants, whom no punishments can correct, yield 
to kind words; and those whom the scourge cannot subdue, are con¬ 
quered by kind deeds.” (Salvian.) 

III. DUTIES OF PIETY 

Masters discharge these duties by inducing their domestics to serve 
God and to take care of their eternal salvation. Masters will have to 
account to God for the souls of their servants, if these souls are lost 
through their fault. 

“For they watch as being to render an account of your souls.” 
(Heb. xiii, 17) 

Masters should instruct their servants, correct them when necessary, 
and give them a good example. They should occupy the place of 
parents towards their servants. 

“If any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his 
house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Tim. 
v, 8) 

“Masters, attend most carefully to the salvation of your servants.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Those who are true heads of families take care that all others in 
the family, as well as their own children, worship God and deserve 
His blessing.” (S. Aug.) 

How great is the guilt of those masters who pay no more attention 
to the salvation of their servants than if these had no souls! Pro¬ 
vided they themselves are well served, they never inquire whether their 
domestics serve God. They even go farther, and turn their servants 
away from the service of God, by not giving them time to say their 
prayers, to hear Mass, to receive the Sacraments. Do we not even 
find masters without religion who employ their servants in servile 
works on Sundays and holy days of obligation, without giving them 
time to perform their duties as Christians? 

How many masters never correct their servants' faults! They are 
angry with a servant who does not attend punctually to his work, who 
neglects an animal; but they never say a word to their servants about 
their frequent relapses into sin, about their oaths, their debaucheries, 
their infidelity in the service of God. Under the pretext that a serv¬ 
ant is necessary, useful, skilful, obliging, his master pardons every¬ 
thing, however vicious the servant may be. 


DUTIES OF MASTERS TO THEIR SERVANTS 221 


But what is to be said of those masters who, not content with turn¬ 
ing their domestics away from the service of God, persuade them 
to do what is contrary to His holy law, hurl them into the abyss of 
eternal ruin by giving them bad advice, bad example, by placing them 
in the occasion of sin, by making them accomplices in their own dis¬ 
orderly lives? 

Masters should retain in their service those only whose conduct is 
irreproachable. 

“The man that walked in the perfect ways, he served Me. He 
that worketh pride shall not dwell in the midst of My house; he that 
speaketh unjust things did not prosper before My eyes.” (Ps. 

c, 6, 7) 

David took those only “who were zealous for virtue, and free 
from every crime.” (Theodoret.) 

“Not as lording it, . . . but being made a pattern of the flock.” 
(1 Pet. v, 3) . 

“Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom 
Christ hath died?” (1 Cor. viii, 11) 

“How great is the corruption of the servants there where the cor¬ 
ruption of the masters is so great! For when the head is diseased, 
nothing else is healthy; nor can any member possibly perform its func¬ 
tion where the principal does not stand firm.” (Salvian) 

“Nevertheless, woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. 
(Matth. xviii, 7) 

“They who do such things are worthy of death; and not only they 
who do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. 
(Rom. i, 32) 


Divisions 

I 

1 With regard to the soul; masters should instruct their servants, 
or have them instructed, in the principles and truths of religion; they 
should send their servants to the instructions and the offices of the 
Church* should take care that they fulfil their religious duties; should 
not allow any bad conduct on their part; and should induce them by 

good example to practise virtue. . . 

2. With regard to the body; masters should give their servants suit¬ 
able nourishment, pay them their exact wages, should not overwhelm 
them with work, and should take an interest in their temporal welfare. 



XXXVIII 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 

DUTIES OF PASTORS AND PARISHIONERS 

“I am the Good Shepherd, and I know mine, and mine know me.” (John 
x, 14) 

The Fourth Commandment also regulates the duties of pastors to¬ 
wards their parishioners, and of parishioners towards their pastors. 
We will consider: I. The qualities of a good pastor and II. The qual¬ 
ities of a good parishioner. 

I. THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD PASTOR 

I. Self-denial 

The mercenary pastor seeks his own advantage; the good pastor 
seeks only the salvation of his flock, and in this shows his disinterest¬ 
edness. 

“It behooveth a bishop [pastor] to be blameless.” (Tim. iii, 2) 

“By this one word, blameless, the Apostle expresses every kind of 
virtue.” (S. Chrys.) 

But self-denial is the virtue that is most necessary for the pastor 
who will work with profit for the salvation of souls. This is why 
the Apostle said: 

“I have not coveted any man’s silver, gold, or apparel, as you your¬ 
selves know.” (Acts xx, 33) 

“I seek not the things that are yours, but you.” (2 Cor. xii, 14) 

“Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself.” (Gen. xiv, 21) 

A pastor should be able to say with Samuel: 

“I am old and gray-headed! . . . Speak of me before the Lord . . . 
whether I have taken any man's ox or ass. If I have wronged any 
man; if I have oppressed any man; if I have taken a bribe at any 
man’s hand.” (1 Kings xii, 2, 3) 

Samuel had his rights. God Himself had declared what should be¬ 
long to the High Priest and to the inferior ministers. He had obliged 
the people to assist them with a portion of their goods; the portion 
of the priests was fixed and no one could take it from them without 

222 


DUTIES OF PASTORS 


223 

sacrilege. But on the other hand the priests were to be content with 
these rights. 

“They [pastors] shall not possess any other thing, but be content 
with oblations.” (Num. xviii, 24) 

“Do you not know that they who work in the sanctuary eat those 
things that belong to the sanctuary; and they who serve the altar 
share with the altar? So also the Lord has ordained that they who 
preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel. Therefore it is lawful 
to live by the altar, but not to live in luxury.” (S. Bern.) 

2. Courage 

“The hireling . . . seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and 
flieth; and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep; and the hireling 
flieth because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep.” 
(John x, 12, 13) 

The mercenary pastor does not trouble himself about anything; he 
does not visit the sheep that are abandoned; he does not seek those 
that are lost. Let a parishioner be lost or saved, the hireling pastor 
does not trouble himself about the matter. He is a pastor in name 
only; he is an idler that abandons his flock. 

“[The mercenary] shall not visit what is forsaken, nor seek what is 
scattered, nor heal what is broken, nor nourish that which standeth, 
and he shall eat the flesh of the fat ones, and break their hoofs. O 
shepherd and idol, that forsaketh the flock: the sword upon his arm 
and upon his right eye: his arm shall quite wither away, and his 
right eye shall be utterly darkened.” (Zach. xi, 16, 17) 

But the good shepherd defends his sheep; he does not abandon them, 
even though he lose his life. Behold his courage. 

“The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.” (John x, 11). 
He attacks vice wherever he meets it; he will not suffer any disorder 
to exist in his parish without striving to apply a remedy to it . . . 
He is a man who is always armed with the sword of the word of God, 
to extirpate, as much as he can, crime and disorder from the midst 
of those whom God has committed to his care. 

3. Vigilance 

The mercenary pastor is never troubled about his sheep; but the 
good pastor knows them and keeps a watchful eye over them. Ob- 
serve his vigilance. 

“I know my sheep ... He calls his own sheep by name. He 
goeth before them . . . Them also I must bring, and they shall hear 
My voice.” (John x, 14. l6 ) 

It would be a crying injustice to deprive pastors of that which they 


224 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


are allowed by both divine and human laws; but it would be an in¬ 
justice also if, living by the altar, pastors neglected to serve the altar, 
to instruct the people, to administer the sacraments. They would de¬ 
serve the reproach: 

“You ate the milk and you clothed yourselves with the wool, . . . 
but My flock you did not feed.” (Ezech. xxxiv, 3) 

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves: Should not 
the flocks be fed by the shepherds?” {Ibid., 2) 

“The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you 
have not healed; that which was broken you have not bound up, and 
that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have 
you sought that which was lost; but you ruled over them with rigor 
and a high hand. And My sheep were scattered because there was no 
shepherd; and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field . . . 
and there was none that sought them.” (Ezech. xxxiv, 4-6) 

“Woe to the pastors that destroy and tear the sheep of my pasture! 

. . . You have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have 
not visited them.” (Jer. xxiii, 1, 2) 

“Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy 
Ghost hath placed you bishops to rule the Church of God.” (Acts 
xx, 28) 

“I left thee [Titus] in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the 
things that are wanting.” (Tit. i, 5) 


II. THE QUALITIES OF GOOD PARISHIONERS 

Good parishioners, (1) know their pastor, (2) listen to his voice, 
(3) follow him. 


1. They know their pastor 

When a parishioner knows his pastor as he ought, he respects him, 
and honors him, because he sees in him the person of Jesus Christ. 

“Mine know Me.” (John x, 14) 

“Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and the 
dispensers of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. iv, 1) 

“For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhort¬ 
ing by us.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 

“Is Christ divided? Was Paul then crucified for you? or were 
you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. i, 13) 

Properly speaking there is only one Pastor, one sovereign Pastor, 
in the Church, and this supreme Pastor is Jesus Christ, whom all 
pastors represent. This is so true that in all the functions of our 
ministry we speak and act in His name. 


DUTIES OF PARISHIONERS 


225 


“For it is He [Christ] who baptizes and preaches.” (S. Aug.) 

“For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that 
speaketh in you.” (Matth. x, 20) 

“When you see a priest offering [the holy Mass] think, not that it 
is a priest, but that it is the hand of Christ invisibly extended.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

Thus, when the priest consecrates, he does not say: This is the 
body of Jesus Christ; but, “this is My body.” Why is this? Be¬ 
cause the priest becomes, as it were, one with Christ, and Christ one 
with him, in such a way that both are in a sense only one and the 
same priest. What great veneration then should you not have for the 
ministers of Jesus Christ, and particularly for your pastors? You 
should consider them as vicars of the Saviour, and respect them, to 
a certain degree, as you would Christ Himself. 

“Touch ye not My anointed: and do no evil to My prophets.”(Ps. 
civ, 15) 

“He that despises you, despises Me.” (Luke x, 16) 

If you notice faults in your pastors, pray for them, but do not cease 
to respect the sacred character with which they are clothed. 

“Consider, not the merits of the persons, but the office of the 
priests.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Let the priests that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honor, 
especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.” (1 Tim. v, 17) 

“We should praise the life of that man who holds the priests of 
Christ in veneration, and who does not lower in the estimation of 
others the dignity of him by whom he has been made a Christian.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“God forbid that we should think any evil of those who, succeeding 
to the Apostolic dignity, by their word bring down from Heaven the 
body of Christ.” (Id.) 

“Truly worthy of veneration is the dignity of priests, in whose 
hands, as in the womb of His Mother, the Son of God becomes in¬ 
carnate.” (S. Aug.) 

2. They listen to his voice 

“They hear his voice.” (John x, 3) 

Pastors are bound to instruct the people. 

“That he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine, and to convince 
the gainsayers.” (Tit. i, 9) 

“Going teach ye all nations.” (Matth. xxviii, 19) 

Parishioners are bound to listen with docility and submission to their 
pastors, as to men sent by God to show them the way to Heaven. 

“He who hears you hears Me.” (Luke x, 16) 


22 6 


THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 


“The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. 
All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do; 
but according to their works do ye not.” (Matth. xxiii, 2, 3) 

And yet people are often found who will not submit to the instruc¬ 
tions and advice of their priests. How many times has not your 
pastor told you to change your life, to quit that occasion of sin, to 
become reconciled to God? 

“For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 
But you have paid no attention to his charitable admonitions; you 
have often even turned them into mockery. 

“They mocked the messengers of God and despised his words, and 
misused the prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His 
people, and there was no remedy.” (2 Paral. xxxvi, 16) 

That certainly is not what a good parishioner should do. On the 
contrary, to treat one’s pastor in this way is to despise God Himself 
and to reject His word. 

“The Lord said to Samuel: They have not rejected thee, but Me, 
that I should not reign over them.” (1 Kings viii, 7) 

3. They follow him and become attached to him 

“And the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But a 
stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the 
voice of a stranger.” (John x, 4, 5) 

A good parishioner should be attached to his priest and his parish. 
Your priest is your pastor, and your parish is your fold. You should 
be united to your priest; you should frequent your own parish church. 
It is the duty of your pastor to distribute to you the bread of the word 
of God, to instruct you in His law, to explain to you the precepts of 
His Church, to administer the Sacraments to you; it is he who shall 
have to render an account of your souls to God. It is he whom you 
should obey in spiritual matters. 

“Obey your prelates, and be subject to them. For they watch as 
being to render an account of your souls.” (Hebr. xiii, 17) 

“Let the bishop diligently instruct the people that each one is bound 
to be present in his own parish church, when it can conveniently be 
done, at least on Sundays and greater feasts.” (Council of Trent) 
That is not a counsel, it is a duty from which no one can be dis¬ 
pensed without a sufficient reason. 

“Honor God with all thy soul, and give honor to the priests.” 
(Eccli. vii, 33) 

“Bow thy head to a great man, but humble thy soul to the priest.” 
(Eccli. iv, 7) 


DUTIES OF PARISHIONERS 


227 


“Honor your priests as fathers, as masters, as benefactors, as 
authors of the good life. ,> (Innoc. Ill) 


Divisions 

I 

There are three things to he considered in an ecclesiastic, (1) his 
character, (2) his doctrine, (3) his life; or if you wish, his power, 
his preaching, and his conduct. 

1. With regard to his character, it always demands great respect, 
because it is the seal of God Himself, by which the priest is made a 
partaker of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. 

2. His doctrine or teaching requires a humble and unquestioning 
submission, because this holy and righteous doctrine is the word of 
God, His law proclaimed to men, who should receive it with great at¬ 
tention and docility. 

3. As regards his life or conduct, it demands neither the respect due 
to his sacred character, nor the submission due to his doctrine; be¬ 
cause if it happens that his life is dissolute, instead of being an edify¬ 
ing example to men, it should be to them a matter of indifference and 
hatred: “According to their works do ye not.” (Bourdaloue) 



XXXIX 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 

homicide 

“Thou shalt not kill.” (Exod. xx, 13) 

The Fifth Commandment forbids the taking away of, and the wish 
to take away, the life of another by private authority, also the taking 
away of one’s own life, or even the desire to do so. It forbids us to 
inflict, or to wish to inflict, any bodily injury on our neighbor, by 
unjustly wounding or striking him. It forbids hatred, envy, the de¬ 
sire of revenge, injuries. It also forbids us to injure our neighbor 
spiritually by inciting him to evil, by giving him bad example, scandal. 
I. It is forbidden to kill oneself or to wish to do so. II. It is for¬ 
bidden to kill others by private authority. III. There are different 
ways of committing murder. 

I. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO TAKE ONE'S OWN LIFE 

Suicide is opposed to the natural law—to the good of society. It 
is an act of cowardice. 

God alone is the Master of life and death. 

“I will kill and I will make to live [saith the Lord].” (Deut. 
xxxii, 39) 

“It is Thou, O Lord, that hast power of life and death.” (Wis. 
xvi, 13) 

Nevertheless, we may expose ourselves to death, and are sometimes 
obliged to do so, when the public good or charity requires it. 

“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life 
for his friends.” (John xv, 13) 

It is equally forbidden to wish ourselves dead, unless such wish 
is caused by praiseworthy and holy motives, as for example, so as not 
to be longer exposed to the danger of offending God ... to be more 
closely united to Him ... to love Him more perfectly ... So 
David, S. Paul. 

“Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged.” (Ps. cxix, 5) 

“Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ.” (Phil 
i, 23) 


228 


HOMICIDE 


229 

“Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death ?” (Rom. vii, 24) 

“Come, Lord Jesus. ,, (Apoc. xxii, 20). “Thy kingdom come.” 

“Ah! Lord, let me die that I may see Thee ... I do not wish to 
live, I wish to die.” (S. Aug.) 

“Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy 
word, in peace.” (Luke, ii, 29) 

II. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO TAKE THE LIFE OF ANOTHER BY 
PRIVATE AUTHORITY 

God has given to the ruling powers the right to put criminals to 
death, so as to maintain good order in society. 

“Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live.” (Exod. xxii, 18) 

“He [the prince] beareth not the sword in vain. For he is God’s 
minister: an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil.” 
(Rom. xiii, 4) 

“In the morning I put to death all the wicked of the land.” (Ps. 

c, 8 ) 

All laws, natural, divine, and human, forbid us to kill another, even 
though he be a villain, or an unjust aggressor. The only exception to 
this is the case in which a man can save his own life only by taking 
the life of his aggressor. Yet even when defending yourself, you 
must not use more violence than is necessary for your safety. 

“[So understand:] if a thief be found breaking open a house or 
undermining it, and be wounded so as to die: he that slew him shall 
not be guilty of blood.” (Exod. xxii, 2) 

It is not permitted to kill in order to defend temporal goods. 

“But if he [who wounds another] did this when the sun is risen, he 
hath committed murder.” (Exod. xxii, 3) 

Because he could then see that the robber came only to steal, and 
not to take life. 

What an injury this crime does to God!—to the unhappy man who 
loses his life, the greatest of all temporal goods, and who perhaps 
loses his soul also!—to society—to the relatives of the dead man. 

So the justice of God pursues the crime of murder even in this 
life . . . Remorse . . . fear ... 

“What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to 
Me from the earth.” (Gen. iv, 10) 

“Every one, therefore, that findeth me, shall kill me.” (Ibid., 14) 

“Bloody and deceitful men shall not live half their days.” (Ps. 

' “The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.” (Ps. 


230 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 

“All that take the sword, shall perish with the sword.” (Matth. 

xxvi, 52) 

“He that shall kill by the sword, must be killed by the sword.” 
(Apoc. xiii, 10) 

“Whosoever shall shed man’s blood, his blood shall be shed.” (Gen. 
ix, 6) 

“If a man kill his neighbor on set purpose, and by lying in wait for 
him, thou shalt take him away from My altar, that he may die.” 
(Exod. xxi, 14) 


III. DIFFERENT WAYS OF COMMITTING HOMICIDE 

A man sins against the Fifth Commandment not only when he him¬ 
self takes away the life of another, but also whenever he commands, 
advises, or incites another to commit that crime . . . Command . . . 
counsel . . . consent, etc. . . . 

It is a crime to procure abortion. 

“To prevent birth is anticipated homicide; nor does it make any dif¬ 
ference whether one takes away a life already begun, or destroys one 
just beginning.” (Tert.) 

Those are indirectly guilty of suicide, 

(1) who are addicted to intemperance. 

“Gluttony hath slain more than the sword . . . Wine hath destroyed 
very many.” (Eccli. xxxi, 30) 

“By surfeiting many have perished.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 34) 

(2) Those who deliver themselves up to impurity. 

“Mind not the deceit of a woman, . . . lest thou mourn at the last, 
when thou shalt have spent thy flesh and thy body.” (Prov. v, 2, 11) 

(3) Those who abandon themselves to passionate anger. 

“Envy and anger shorten a man’s days.” (Eccli. xxx, 26) 

Some render themselves guilty of homicide indirectly, such as, 

(1) Pregnant women who act imprudently; 

(2) Husbands who ill-treat their wives; 

(3) Parents who allow their children of a tender age to sleep with 
themselves, or with others, on account of the danger of suffocation to 
which they expose such children. 

This commandment forbids us also to wound or strike our neighbor. 

“You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not 
kill, and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment. But 
I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in 
danger of the judgment.” (Matth. v, 21, 22) 

This commandment also forbids injurious words . . . imprecations 
. . . “Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of 


HOMICIDE 


231 

the council. And whosoever shall say: Thou fool, shall be in danger 
of hell fire. ,, (Matth. v, 22) 

He who has killed or maltreated others, should make reparation for 
all the injury he has caused. 

On the other hand, the Fifth Commandment imposes on us the 
obligation of loving our neighbor, of assisting him in his spiritual and 
corporal necessities, of forgiving those who have offended us, of giv¬ 
ing a good example. 

“A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one an¬ 
other as I have loved you.” (John xiii, 34) 

“Charity is patient, is kind, envieth not, etc.” (1 Cor. xiii, 4) 


XL 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 

LOVE OF ENEMIES—FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES 

“Thou shalt not kill.” (Exod. xx, 13) 

Strictly speaking, the Fifth Commandment forbids homicide; but 
as Jesus Christ wishes to destroy the root and principle of this crime, 
He has forbidden us to hate our enemies; He has even given us the 
formal commandment to love them, and to forgive them if they in¬ 
jure us. I. There is nothing more urgent than the obligation to for¬ 
give injuries, to love our enemies; II. There is nothing more frivolous 
than the excuses which people bring forward to dispense themselves 
from this obligation. 

1. there: is nothing more urgent than this obligation 

An obligation which is founded, (1) on a commandment given to 
us by God; (2) on the example of Jesus Christ; (3) for our own 
interest, should certainly be regarded as an urgent one. But such 
is the obligation of forgiving injuries, of loving our enemies. 

1. A commandment of God 

Yes, God has given us a commandment to love our enemies, a com¬ 
mandment the most indispensable, the most just, and the most useful 
to the welfare of society. 

“But I say to you: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you/* (Matth. 
v, 44 ) 

God has the observance of this precept so much at heart that He 
rejects every sacrifice which is not accompanied by love of our en¬ 
emies and forgiveness of injuries. 

“If thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that 
thy brother has anything against thee; leave there thy offering before 
the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother; and then coming 
thou shalt offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary be¬ 
times, whilst thou art in the way with him.” (Matth. v, 23-25) 

“If I have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Cor. xiii, 3) 

232 


LOVE ENEMIES—FORGIVE INJURIES 233 

How deplorable is the blindness of a great number of people re¬ 
garding this commandment! Apart from this they lead Christian 
lives, perform many good works, approach the sacraments regularly, 
but in their hearts they cherish feelings of bitterness and resentment 
towards their neighbors. Thus their prayers are rendered useless and 
their good works are spiritually unproductive. 

“Love your enemies, . . . that you may be the children of your 
Father who is in heaven, who maketh His sun to shine upon the good 
and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.” (Matth. v, 
44 , 45 ) 

“It is the duty of all to love their friends, but it is the duty of 
Christians only to love their enemies.” (S. Cypr.) 

“A Christian is not the enemy of any one.” (Tert.) 

“Since a Christian could not take revenge, he preferred to suffer.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, . . . lest thou incur 
sin through him.” (Levit. xix, 17) 

“Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens.” 
{Ibid., 18) 

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” (1 John iii, 15) 

“He that rejoiceth at another man’s ruin, shall not be unpunished.” 
(Prov. xvii, 5) 

“When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad, and in his ruin let not thy 
heart rejoice.” (Prov. xxiv, 17) 

“Say not: I will return evil; wait for the Lord, and He will de¬ 
liver thee.” (Prov. xx, 22) 

“There is nothing that God detests so much as the man who eagerly 
longs for revenge, and who cherishes lasting enmity in his heart. 
The injury caused by this sin is so great that it turns aside the mercy 
of God lest the sinner should be pardoned.” (S. Chrys.) 

There is nothing more just than this commandment, since it comes 
from God, our sovereign Master; neither is there anything that is a 
better proof of the wisdom of His providence. For what would be¬ 
come of society if revenge were permitted! Oversensitive as we are 
and full of self-love, the world would be only a field of war, murder, 
and carnage. To what lengths would not the madness of revenge 
carry men! 

2. The example of Christ 

Jesus Christ taught us not only by words, but still more by example, 
to pardon injuries and to love our enemies. How did He avenge the 
outrages inflicted on Himself? ... By benefits ... He was unjustly 
accused ... He did not speak. 


234 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


“But Jesus held His peace.” (Matth. xxvi, 63) 

Oh! how eloquent is this silence of Christ! What a beautiful les¬ 
son for us! When we are treated with contempt, let us remember the 
silence of that Man of Sorrows, and do as He did . . . He pardoned 
His executioners, He even prayed for them. 

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 
xxiii, 34) 

“Wonderful thing! The Jews cried out: Crucify Him, and Christ 
cried out: Pardon them.” (S. Bern.) 

“Torn by scourges, crowned with thorns, pierced by nails, attached 
to the gibbet, yet forgetting all injuries: Forgive them, He says, for 
they know not what they do.” (Id.) 

Vindictive men, what do you say to that example ? Is it not capable 
of suppressing the movements of revenge in your heart? Ah! do 
you still deserve the name of Christians and disciples of the God of 
mercies ? 

S. Stephen, when assailed by a shower of stones, prayed: 

“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts vii, 59) 

See the multitude of martyrs who embraced their executioners, for¬ 
gave them, and prayed for them. By this heroic charity they made 
known to the idolators the truth of our holy religion and converted 
many of them to Christ. Do you by this means give testimony to the 
truth of our holy religion to-day? Alas! would not your feelings of 
hatred, your revenge, your dissensions, be more likely to turn away 
those who might wish to embrace it? 

3. Our own interests 

To gain Heaven, we must obtain pardon of our sins; but it is only 
by pardoning our enemies that we ourselves shall receive pardon from 
God. 

“Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” (Luke vi, 37) 

“If you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will 
forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, 
neither will your Father forgive you your offences.” (Matth. vi, 
14 , 15 ) 

“With the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be 
measured to you again.” (Luke vi, 38) 

“Thou wicked servant, . . . shouldst not thou then have had com¬ 
passion also on thy fellow-servant, even as I had compassion on thee? 
And his lord, being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid 
all the debt. So also shall My heavenly Father do to you, if you 
forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.” (Matth. 
xviii, 32-35) 


LOVE ENEMIES—FORGIVE INJURIES 235 


You have offended, outraged your God times beyond number; you 
ask Him every day to forgive you your sins; He will grant your peti¬ 
tion, but only on condition that you yourself will forgive those who 
have offended you. You say: 

“Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” (Matth. 
vi, 12) 

“Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant.” (Luke 
xix, 22) 

“Revenge is Mine, and I will repay them in due time [saith the 
Lord].” (Deut. xxxii, 35) 

What are you thinking of, vindictive men, who refuse to be guided 
by a maxim so wise in itself, and so advantageous in its effects? You 
know that God will be merciful to you only as far as you will have 
been merciful towards others. Hence, renounce all hope of pardon 
and eternal salvation, do not any longer recite a prayer which you 
cannot repeat without pronouncing the sentence of your own con¬ 


demnation. 

“To no man rendering evil for evil ... If it be possible as much 
as is in you, have peace with all men. Revenge not yourselves, my 
dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge 
is mine * I will repay, saith the Lord. But if thy enemy be hungry, 
give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink. For, doing this, thou 
shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome by evil, but 
overcome evil by good.” (Rom. xii, .17-21) 

“He that seeketh to revenge himself, shall find vengeance from the 
Lord, and He will surely keep his sins in remembrance. Forgive thy 
neighbor if he hath hurt thee; and then shall thy sins be forgiven to 
thee when thou prayest. Man to man reserveth anger, and doth he 
seek remedy of God? He hath no mercy on a man like himself, and 
doth he entreat for his own sins? He that is but flesh nourished 
anger, and doth he ask forgiveness of God? Who shall obtain par¬ 
don for his sins? (Eccli. xxviii, 1-5) 

“Justice without mercy to him that hath not done mercy. (Jas. 


“if*you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you. He who 
does not rouse himself at these terrible words is not simply sleeping, 
he is dead.” (S. Aug.) 

“When you refuse mercy to your brother, you shut out the mercy 

of your Father.” (S. Aug.) , _ 

“How can you have the audacity to say to the Lord: Forgive me 
the many sins I have committed,—if you do not forgive the few sms 
of your fellow-servants?” (S. Cyril) 

“How can you enter into the peace of the Lord without peace? 


236 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


How can you obtain the remission of sins while retaining them? 
How will hatred towards your brother please your Father?” (Tert.) 

“He who is an enemy of his brother always lives in sin.” (S. John 
Damascene) 

“The love of enemies is the crown of goodness, the highest degree 
of piety, an example of divine philosophy.” (S. Peter Chrys.) 

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have 
a complaint against another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so 
you also.” (Col. iii, 13) 

II. THERE IS NOTHING MORE FRIVOLOUS THAN THE PRETEXTS 
WHICH PEOPLE BRING FORWARD TO DISPENSE 
THEMSELVES FROM THIS OBLIGATION 

1. Some allege the difficulty of pardoning an injury, especially when 
it is grievous. What! they say, love a person who hates us and in¬ 
jures us, who steals our property and tries to destroy our character! 
Ah! that is very hard, and who can conquer himself so as to do it? 

“This is a hard saying ... the Lord hath ordered, He hath ordered 
difficult things, but He hath promised a great reward.” (S. Aug.) 

The practice of this virtue is difficult, . . . but is there much merit 
in a thing in which we do no violence to ourselves? Moreover, is it 
not often more difficult to take revenge than to pardon? To pardon, 
nothing more is required than an act of the will; but what does it not 
cost to gratify our feelings of revenge, and to what do we not expose 
ourselves in so doing? 

“We must understand that Christ commanded us to do, not what is 
impossible, but what is perfect, what David practised towards Saul 
and Absalom.” (S. Aug.) 

2. But, the vindictive man will say, there is a stain on my honor. 
What will people think of me? They will say I am a coward. Thus 
speaks passion, the world, and this language is only too often listened 
to while the warning of religion is despised. Which of these two 
should be obeyed, the language of passion demanding vengeance, or 
that of religion ordering pardon? To which should we listen, the 
world from which we have nothing to expect, or God, from whom we 
have all things to fear and all things to hope? ... If the world will 
make you happy listen to it: 

“If Baal be God, follow him.” (3 Kings xviii, 21) 

But in what does true honor consist? Is it not in doing the will of 
God, in fulfilling your duty as a Christian? Is it not this alone that 
will cause you to be esteemed by virtuous men ? Is not this the esteem 
which you ought to seek? 

“Following the example of God, it is more glorious to pass over an 


LOVE ENEMIES—FORGIVE INJURIES 237 


injury in silence, than to overcome by answering.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

But, you say, my honor is wounded, that enemy of mine has given 
me so bad a name in the world, that I dare not appear among men. 
May I not efface the bad impressions produced against me by his 
words? Yes, you can remove that stain that has blackened your good 
name; but how? Is it by revenge? No, since revenge is forbidden. 
You can use other means. For either you have given grounds for 
what has been said against you, or you have been calumniated. If 
you have given grounds for it, amend your conduct and close the 
mouth of your enemy. If you are innocent, people will end by ac¬ 
knowledging your innocence and taking your part. 

May you have recourse to the civil law to clear your character? 
Yes, if it is necessary; but never let passion induce you to do so. 

3. Others say: We must avenge ourselves, otherwise vice will in¬ 
crease with impunity, and the good of society demands that its progress 
should be stopped; an enemy will take advantage of this impunity to 
inflict fresh injuries. 

Vice must be checked, no doubt; but how much it is to be feared 
that under this pretext people seek only to gratify their desire for 
revenge. An excellent means of correcting an enemy is to pardon 
him and to return him good for evil. He will be touched by kindness 

and will be converted. . 

“Revenge is Mine, and I will repay them in due time. (Deut. 


xxxii, 35) 

“To love an enemy is a heavenly revenge.” (S. Paulin.) 

4. “I have already forgiven him several times; my enemy has not 
become better. Must I always pardon him?” 

Listen to the words which Christ speaks to you : 

“Till seventy times seven times.” (Matth. xviii, 22) 

“If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly 
fall empty before my enemies. Let my enemy pursue my soul.” 


(Ps. vii, 5 > 6) . . t « 

c “It is not I who offended him first; it is not my place to make 

the first advance towards reconciliation. I will pardon my enemy if he 
acknowledges his fault.” This is the usual language of those who do 
not wish to pardon. No one wishes to admit his fault, each pretends 
he has been offended. Pride prevents the carrying out of a work 

'"^Wh^dilTrence is there between the person offending and him 
who is offended, except that one is discovered in evil-doing sooner 

than the other?” (Tert.) . „ j, >, 

“To love our enemies is divine rather than human. (b. Bern.) 
“A Christian is not permitted to hate any one.” (S. Leo) 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


238 

“What a crime is unwillingness to forgive, a crime which is not 
atoned for even by martyrdom.” (S. Cypr.) 

“When you multiply prayer, I will not hear; for your hands are 
full of blood.” (Is. i, 15) 

“Go first [therefore] to be reconciled to thy brother.” (Matth. 
v, 24) 

“Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” (Luke vi, 37) 


Divisions 

I 

Motives that should urge us to pardon injuries: 

1. God commands it; He has the right to command it, as well as to 
punish if He is not obeyed. 

2. God considers as done to Himself what we do to our fellow- 
men; hatred, revenge, and outrage against our enemies are directed 
against Him. 

3. The injury we do ourselves: if we do not forgive others God will 
not forgive us. 

II 

Three classes of people who refuse to pardon: 

1. The first say: “We cannot do it.” They must be made to see 
that they can. 

2. The second say: “We ought not to do it”; they plead custom, 
worldly maxims, their honor, the requirements and laws of their state 
of life. They must be made to see how foolish these excuses are, and 
how just and strict is the law of God. 

3. The third say: “We do not wish to do so”; their obstinacy 
must be overcome by the example, the promises, and the threats of 
Jesus Christ. 

III 

Conditions that should accompany the pardon of injuries. 

1. The pardon must be sincere; this is the place to speak of the 
illusions of those who believe they forgive, and do not. 

2. The pardon must include all persons and all injuries. 

3. The pardon must be prompt. 

IV 

The world tells us we must take revenge, and must not suffer any 
injury patiently. We must show clearly how injurious this maxim is 
to God, how pernicious to society, how unjust to individuals. 



XLI 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 

SCANDAL 

“Woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.” (Matth. xviii, 7) 

It is a dreadful crime to deprive a man of the life of the body; but 
it is still more dreadful to deprive him of the life of the soul. Yet 
that is what the scandal-giver does. Consider: I. How injurious 
scandal is to God; II. How hurtful it is to man. 

I. HOW INJURIOUS SCANDAL IS TO GOD 

By scandal is meant all that can be the occasion of sin for our 
neighbor:—a word or act giving the occasion of a fall. To constitute 
scandal it is sufficient that the word, etc., has the appearance of evil. 
No direct intention is required, it is enough if it can be foreseen that 
scandal will arise from the word or act. And scandal may be given 
by omission. 

What injury does the sin of scandal do to God? 

1. Scandal deprives God of the honor due to Him by His creatures; 
2. It destroys the plans of Jesus Christ for the salvation of man; 3. It 
makes man an imitator of the devil. 

1. It deprives God of the honor due to Him 

God made reasonable creatures that He might be glorified by their 
homage, and by the obedience they render to His infinite grandeur 
and His laws. But what does the scandal-giver do? By his lessons in 
iniquity, by his bad example, he causes others to sin. Ah! if it is a 
cowardly act not to declare ourselves on the side of God, not to oppose 
the outrages that are inflicted on Him, not to prevent evil when we 
can do so; what will it be to approve of evil by our conduct, to drag 
others into sin and vice? But that is what scandal-givers do when, by 
their impious conversation and bad example, they turn others away 
from the service of God, and by pernicious counsel induce them to 
commit evil. 

“You have caused many to stumble at the law; therefore have I also 
made you contemptible ... to all the people. ,, (Malach. ii, 8, 9) 

239 


240 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


“If a man see him that hath knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s 
temple, shall not his conscience, being weak, be emboldened to eat those 
things which are sacrificed to idols?” (i Cor. viii, io) 


2. It destroys the plans of Jesus Christ for the salvation of man 

The sin of scandal is opposed not only to the designs of the Creator, 
but also to those of the Redeemer, since it renders useless all that 
Christ has done for the salvation of man. 

The object of all the sufferings of Christ has been to secure the 
salvation of mankind. “On account of our salvation He came down 
from Heaven.” 

The scandal-giver renders useless to the souls he perverts all the 
blood Christ shed for them. What an injury to the Saviour! 

“Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom 
Christ hath died?” (i Cor. viii, n) 

“Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.” (Rom. 
xiv, 15) 

“And I [Jesus] said: I have labored in vain, I have spent My 
strength without cause, and in vain.” (Is. xlix, 4) 

“Now when you sin thus against the brethren, and wound their 
weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” (1 Cor. viii, 12) 

“Think not that this loss concerns him only who is injured; it also 
affects Christ who was crucified for him.” (S. Chrys.) 

The scandal-giver makes on religion a war more dangerous than the 
persecutions of tyrants. The blood of martyrs was the seed of Chris¬ 
tians. The scandal-giver does not employ the rigor of bodily tortures; 
he makes use of the bait of pleasures. This is what causes the 
Church to say: 

“Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter.” (Is. xxxviii, 17) 

“Christ suffers a graver persecution from the man who by bad ex¬ 
ample perverts the souls He redeemeed, than from the Jew who caused 
His blood to flow.” (S. Bern.) 

What name, then, must be given to those enemies of the glory of 
God and the salvation of souls? 

“Now there are become many antichrists” (1 John ii, 18)—that is 
to say, there are Christians who are unworthy of so beautiful a name, 
who do the work of Antichrist in advance by perverting souls. 

“No one does more injury to the Church than he who has a name 
and office of sanctity, and yet gives a bad example; and the fault is 
spread more rapidly among those who imitate him, when the sinner is 
honored through reverence for his office.” (S. Greg.) 

Scandal-givers, do you understand the enormity of your crime? I 


SCANDAL 


241 

cannot repeat it too often: your work is the work of the devil. What 
is the occupation of the demon on this earth? 

“He was a murderer from the beginning.” (John, viii, 44) 

“He goeth about seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. v, 8) 

If the devil finds a man resisting his attacks, he employs scandal- 
givers who, not content with destroying their own souls, wish to have 
companions in their misery. 

What then does the evil spirit do when he wishes to ensnare that 
young man who is leading a good life, that modest and pious girl who 
has preserved her innocence? He procures for him a vicious com¬ 
panion who leads him from the path of virtue. He sends to that 
young girl a libertine, who does not immediately tempt her to commit 
crime, but first gains her afifection by flattering speeches, and after¬ 
wards causes her to fall into sin. 

What will that spirit of discord do to separate friends, to cause 
trouble in a family? 

“A passionate man kindleth strife, and a sinful man will trouble 
his friends, and bring in debate in the midst of them that are at 
peace.” (Eccli. xxviii, 11) 

“The whisperer and the double-tongued is accursed; for he hath 
troubled many that were at peace.” {Ibid., 15) 

“The devils look for instruments through which they may do their 
work.” (Orig.) 

II. HOW HURTFUL SCANDAL IS TO MAN 

Other sins injure those who commit them; but scandal inflicts its 
murderous blows not only on those who give it, but also on those to 
whom it is given. 

Scandal causes the spiritual death of those who are guilty of it; and 
what makes this death more melancholy is, (1) that this sin, being 
graver than others, will be punished more rigorously; and (2) that 
its results being often irreparable, the return to the life of grace is 
more difficult. 


1. This sin will be more rigorously punished 

As there are virtues of the first order for which God reserves more 
magnificent rewards, so there are sins of a greater malice, which He 
will punish by severer chastisements. Among those virtues are zeal 
for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

“He that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom 
of heaven.” (Matth. v, 19) 

“They that instruct many to justice, shall shine as stars for all 
eternity.” (Dan. xii, 3) 


242 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


From this let us judge what chastisement must await those men of 
perdition who destroy the kingdom of God by their scandals, who cause 
the loss of souls. 

“I will require his blood at thy hand.” (Ezech. iii, 18) 

“He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, 
it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his 
neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe 
to the world because of scandals . . . Woe to the man by whom the 
scandal cometh.” (Matth. xviii, 6, 7) 

“He who lives an evil life in the sight of the people kills, as far as 
he can do so, the man who pays attention to him.” (S. Aug.) 

“He that deceiveth the just in a wicked way, shall fall in his own 
destruction.” (Prov. xxviii, 10) 

“He who sins openly is doubly guilty, because he acts and teaches; 
he sins himself and he persuades others to sin.” (S. Isid.) 

“If you have been the cause of perdition to others, you shall suffer 
greater punishment than those who have been ruined by you.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

The more souls then the scandal-giver will have destroyed, the more 
rigorous his punishment shall be. 


2. The consequences of scandal are often irreparable, and make re¬ 
turn to the life of grace more difficult 

The scandal-giver finds his misery beginning even in this life by the 
extreme difficulty he experiences in repairing his scandals. How is 
he to efface the bad impressions he has made? That man whom he 
perverted has ruined others; the evil has become general; a whole 
parish is infected. 

The life of grace surpasses all natural goods; and it is that life of 
which the scandal-giver robs his neighbor. 

Scandal-givers, do you know what injury you inflict on your brother, 
when you rob him of the treasure of grace by the sin you cause him 
to commit? You deprive him of the friendship of God. You hurl 
him into hell! Alas! perhaps there are already in that pit some who 
have fallen into it through your fault, who cry out in the midst of 
torments: “I burn in these flames because I followed the bad ex¬ 
ample of that sinner; . . . cursed be the day I first knew and associated 
with him!” 

Yes, scandal destroys a great number of souls every day; it is a 
plague that spreads with amazing rapidity. The source of many 
crimes and disorders in the world is to be found in scandal. People 
imitate bad example only too easily. 


SCANDAL 


243 


“A little leaven corrupteth the whole lump.” (1 Cor. v, 6) 

“He who gives scandal ruins many by dragging them down with 
himself.” (S. Cypr.) 

“A woman who was in the city a sinner, who not only was a sinner, 
but had caused the sin of the entire city.” (S. Chrys.) 

The sin of the scandal-giver who has been long years in hell, is 
continued in some manner on earth in the persons of those he per¬ 
verted. 

“Fathers and mothers, masters and mistresses . . . are deserving of 
death as often as they give bad example to their servants.” (S. Greg.) 

“A master, in his sin, has as many followers as he has witnesses.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Behold a woman meeteth him in harlot’s attire, prepared to de¬ 
ceive souls, talkative and wandering, not bearing to be quiet . . . now 
abroad, now in the streets, now lying in wait near the corners.” 
(Prov. vii, 10-12) 

“Go not in the way of ruin, and thou shalt not stumble against the 
stones; trust not thyself to a rugged way, lest thou set a stumbling- 
block to thy soul; and beware of thy own children, and take heed of 
them of thy household.” (Eccli. xxxii, 25, 26) 

“If a fire breaking out light upon thorns, and catch stacks of corn, 
or corn standing in the field, he that kindleth the fire shall make good 
the loss.” (Exod. xxii, 6) 

“If a man open a pit . . . and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall 
into it, the owner of the pit shall pay the price of the beasts.” (Exod. 
xxi, 33, 34) . . . 

Such, and even much greater still, is the responsibility that weighs 
on those who cause the ruin of souls. 

An act indifferent in its nature, or even good in itself, may be the 
cause of scandal; charity commands us to abstain from such acts. 

“If meat scandalize my brother, I will never eat flesh, lest I should 
scandalize my brother.” (1 Cor. viii, 13) 

“Giving no offence to any man, that our ministry be not blamed.” 

(2 Cor. vi, 3) 

3. Examples of scandal and its punishment 

“He [Moses] said to Aaron: what has this people done to thee, 
that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?” (Exod. 
xxxii, 21) 

“He [Jeroboam] made two golden calves, and said to them: Go ye 
up no more to Jerusalem. Behold thy gods, O Israel. ... He placed 
the one in Bethel and the other in Dan. And this thing became an oc- 


244 


THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT 


casion of sin; for the people went to adore the calf as far as Dan.” 
(3 Kings, xii, 28-30) 

“Jeroboam came not back from his wicked way, but on the contrary, 
he made of the meanest of the people priests of the high places; who¬ 
soever would, he filled his hand, and he was made a priest of the 
high places. And for this cause did the house of Jeroboam sin, and 
was cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.” (3 Kings, 
xiii > 33 . 34 ) 

“Because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to 
blaspheme; for this thing, the child that is born to thee shall surely 
die.” (2 Kings, xii, 14) 

S. Scripture says that the sin of the sons of Heli was very great 
(1 Kings, ii, 7) because they gave scandal to the people. 

Beautiful was the example of Eleazar, who preferred to die rather 
than scandalize the young men by pretending to eat forbidden meats. 
(2 Mach, vi, 24) 

The sin of scandal then is very injurious to God and very hurtful to 
man . . . you who have had the misfortune to give scandal earnestly ask 
God’s pardon: “From the sins of others spare Thy servant,” and as 
far as possible repair the evil you have done. Keep such a watch over 
your words and actions “that you may walk worthy of God.” (Col. i, 10) 

Do not forget these terrible words: “Woe to that man by whom 
the scandal cometh.” (Matth. xviii, 7) 

Edify your neighbor by your words and deeds: 

“From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.” (1 Thess. v, 22). 
Shun the company of scandal-givers: 

“Go behind Me, satan, thou art a scandal unto Me.” (Matth. xvi, 

23) 

“Them that sin reprove before all; that the just also may have 
fear.” (1 Tim. v, 20) 

“Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou 
yield in judgment to the opinion of the most part, to stray from the 
truth.” (Exod. xxiii, 2) 

“Beware thou never join in friendship with the inhabitants of that 
land, which may be thy ruin.” (Exod. xxxiv, 12) 

“Walk not with an angry man, lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and 
take scandal to thy soul.” (Prov. xxii, 24) 

“If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.” 
(Matth. v, 29) 

“I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who make dissensions and 
offences contrary to the doctrines which you have learnt, and to avoid 
them.” (Rom. xvi, 17) 



SCANDAL 


245 


Divisions 

I 

Unhappy is he who causes scandal; doubly miserable is he who 
gives scandal when he is specially bound to give good example. 

1. Unhappy is the man who causes scandal: Why? 

i°. Because in the sight of God he is the murderer of all the souls 
he scandalizes; 

2°. Because he is charged before God with all the sins of which 
he has been the cause. 

2. Doubly miserable is he who gives scandal when he is specially 
bound to give good example. 

There is no one who is not bound to give good example; but there 
are some who are more specially bound than others, because of special 
duties. Such duties are: 

i°. Those of parents towards their children; 

2°. Of masters towards their servants; 

3 0 . Of ministers of the altar towards the flock of Christ; 

4 0 . Of those who by their profession are servants of God towards 
the public; 

5 0 . Of the strong in faith, i. e. } Catholics, towards the weak, i. e., 
our separated brethren. 

II 

1. Frequent occurrence of scandal. 2. Enormity of this sin. 

1. Frequent occurrence of scandal. 

i°. It reigns in all classes, in all conditions; 

2°. It is very easily given, and is put an end to with very great 
difficulty. 

3 0 . It is so much the more common because few persons believe 
themselves bound to avoid it. 

2. Enormity of this sin. 

i°. There is no greater outrage, nothing more opposed to Jesus 

^2°* Its heinousness is proved by the threats and maledictions ful¬ 
minated against it. 


XLII 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

IMPURITY 

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Matth. xx, 14) 

Among sins there is one so dangerous and so shameful that the 
Apostle S. Paul forbade the first Christians even to name it: “For¬ 
nication and all uncleanness, let it not so much as be named among 
you, as becometh saints.” (Eph. v, 3) 

Nevertheless, this sin is so widespread and causes such havoc that 
the ministers of the Gospel must speak of it, and strive to inspire for 
it all the horror it deserves. After having placed ourselves under the 
protection of the most pure Virgin, we shall examine: I. The causes; 
II. The effects of the sin of impurity. 

I. THE CAUSES OF IMPURITY 

Impurity is so detestable a sin that we cannot be too amazed at see¬ 
ing men regard it as a mere trifle, a pardonable weakness. 

What! Has not God expressly forbidden it? “Thou shalt not 
commit adultery.” 

Does not S. Paul formally declare that this sin excludes from the 
kingdom of heaven those who commit it: “No fornicator or un¬ 
clean . . . hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” 
(Eph. v, 5) 

“This is a heinous crime, and a most grievous iniquity. It is a fire 
that devoureth even to destruction, and rooteth up all things that 
spring.” (Job xxxi, 11) 

But speaking to Christians I shall not stop to prove to them that 
impurity is a transgression of the law of God; I shall strive only to 
show its chief causes, which are: 

(1) The want of vigilance over one’s heart and senses; (2) the 
many occasions of sin to which people expose themselves; (3) idleness. 

1. Want of vigilance over the senses 

Our senses are like windows through which death enters into our 
souls: “Death is come up through our windows.” (Jer. ix, 12). 

246 


IMPURITY 


247 

Whence came the fall of Dina, daughter of Jacob? That of David? 
People do not all at once plunge into disorders condemned by reason 
as well as by religion; but they give too much liberty to their senses; 
they wish to see all, to hear all. In this way the fatal poison of im¬ 
purity is insinuated into a soul: 

“Behold how small a fire kindleth a great wood.” (Jas. iii, 5) 

People delight in reading immodest books and papers. 

Avoid immoderate use of drink. 

“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury.” (Eph. v, 18) 

Avoid familiarities, too tender attachments, and everything that can 
cause them. 

“I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as 
think upon a virgin.” (Job xxxi, 1) 

“Gaze not upon a maiden, lest her beauty be a stumbling-block to 
thee.” (Eccli. ix, 5) 

“Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up, and gaze not upon 
another’s beauty. For many have perished in the beauty of a 
woman.” {Ibid., 8) 

“Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already 
committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matth. v, 28) 

“Lust is fed on banquets, nourished on pleasures, kindled by wine, 
and inflamed by drunkenness.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Be not seduced: Evil communications corrupt good manners.” 
(1 Cor. xv, 33) 

“Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth.” (Eph. iv, 29) 

“These men . . . shall perish in their corruption. . . . Having eyes 
full of adultery and of sin that ceaseth not.” (2 Pet. ii, 12, 14) 

2. Dangerous occasions 

If this sin enters into the soul by the senses even when the objects 
are distant, what will happen when circumstances contribute to bring 
them close to us? So the occasion has always been the saddest 
stumbling-block to chastity. 

Whence arise so many disorders in youth, so many infidelities in 
the married state? Is it not from criminal intimacies, from suspected 
houses that are frequented, from visits, etc.? 

“All these things are indications of chastity about to be ruined.” 
(S. Jerome) 

The occasions of this sin are: assemblies, night-walking, amusements, 
dances, plays, indecency in female dress. Even those apparently in¬ 
nocent interviews between young people who seek each other in mar¬ 
riage, interviews that are often criminal, in which, under pretence of 
getting to know each other, they often pass the limits of virtue and 


248 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


modesty. Undoubtedly such young people should be allowed to see 
each other, but only rarely, prudently, and in the presence of their 
relatives. When they avoid the society of others, when they see each 
other at unreasonable hours, sin generally follows. But, alas! such 
safeguards are not acceptable to most people; and often,—shall I say 
it?—fathers and mothers favor only too much the wantonness of their 
children. Under the plea of establishing them in life, they allow the 
children to go where they please, day or night. Must we be astonished 
to see so great licentiousness among youth? 

“Use not much the company of her that is a dancer, and hearken 
not to her, lest thou perish by the force of her charms.” (Eccli. 
ix, 14) 

“For many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and hereby 
lust is enkindled as a fire.” {Ibid., 9) 

“He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“Can a man hide fire in his bosom and his garments not burn? 
Or can he walk upon coals and his feet not be burnt? So he that 
goeth in to his neighbor’s wife shall not be clean.” (Prov. vi, 27—29) 

“Fly if you would not perish.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Idleness 

If idleness is the mother of all vices, it is especially the mother of 
impurity: “Idleness has taught much evil.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 39) 

This is proved by the experience of those who lead idle lives. How 
many bad thoughts pass through their mind! What sinful movements 
spring up in their heart! It is an unoccupied house in which the 
demon of impurity very soon finds an abode. 

“Do some work, so that the devil may always find you occupied.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“Idleness now assails those whom wars did not subdue.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

Let us acknowledge, then, that, however violent may be the inclina¬ 
tion of man for carnal pleasures, however strongly the devil may urge 
him to commit sin, he would never be conquered if he kept on his 
guard, if he kept a watch over himself, if he fled from the occasion 
of sin and from idleness. For these are the usual causes of that 
filthy vice which destroys so many victims. 

“O luxury, thou art an infernal fire—whose material is gluttony, 
whose flame is pride, whose sparks are conversations, whose ashes is 
uncleanness, whose end is hell.” (S. Jerome) 

II. EFFECTS OF IMPURITY 

(1) On the body, (2) on the soul. 


IMPURITY 


249 


1. On the body 

Chastisements with which God has punished this sin even in this life: 
the deluge, destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This shameful sin 
is diametrically opposed to the most essential interests of man; dis¬ 
grace, confusion, infamy, are the lot of the voluptuous. 

‘‘Every woman that is a harlot shall be trodden upon as dung in the 
way.” (Eccli. ix, 10) 

“He that is an adulterer, for the folly of his heart shall destroy his 
own soul. He gathereth to himself shame and dishonor, and his re¬ 
proach shall not be blotted out.” (Prov. vi, 32, 33) 

“She [the adulterous woman] shall leave her memory to be cursed, 
and her infamy shall not be blotted out.” (Eccli. xxiii, 36) 

Loss of fortune, of health, even of life . . . In fact, what is a man, 
who is the slave of this passion, not capable of doing? Is it necessary 
that he should spend everything he has to gratify this passion? Is it 
necessary that he should expose his health to danger from sleepless 
nights, from shameful diseases that shorten his life? There is nothing 
he will not suffer, nothing to which he will not expose himself. 

“He wasted his substance living luxuriously.” (Luke xv, 13) 

“God delivered them up to shameful affections.” (Rom. i, 26) 

This sin is followed only by regrets, remorse of conscience, and anx¬ 
iety. In the married state it produces disunion, divorces, jealousies, 
hatreds, quarrels, murders. We often see sad examples of this. 
Herodias, delivered up to infamous passions, demanded the head of 
the holy Baptist. 

“O utter infamy of lust, which ruins the strength of both mind and 
body; a burning heat and a carelessness always precede it, sorrow and 
grief always follow it.” (Hugh of S. Victor) 

2. Evils produced in the soul by this passion 
i°. Blindness of spirit; 2°. hardness of heart, and as a consequence, 
final impenitence and eternal reprobation. 
i°. Blindness of spirit 

The peculiar effect of impurity is to produce spiritual blindness in 
him who is addicted to it, because it extinguishes the lights of reason 
and faith. The voluptuous act like brute beasts, not like reasonable 

beings. . f> 

“He is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them. 

(Ps. xlviii, 13) 

“The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit 
of God; for it is foolishness to him and he cannot understand.” 
(1 Cor. ii, 14) 


250 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


“Fornication and sensuality destroy the mind and make a brute 
beast of a rational man.” (S. Jerome) 

The impure man loses sight of all that the law of God teaches him. 
He carries his blindness so far that he would wish his sin to be con¬ 
sidered as something indifferent in itself, nay, even permitted, and he 
uses every effort to make others so regard it. 

Why do we see so many libertines arguing, disputing, about the 
truths of religion, attacking them ? Because their hearts are corrupted. 
They wish that there should be no religion, no avenging God. 

“He would not understand that he might do well.” (Ps. xxxv, 4) 

“They have not known nor understood; for their eyes are covered, 
that they may not see, and that they may not understand with their 
heart.” (Is. xliv, 18) 

“The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.” (Ps. xiii, 1) 

“When a man begins to lead a dissolute life, he begins to fall away 
from the true faith.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Wine and women make wise men fall off . . . and he that joineth 
himself to harlots, will be wicked. Rottenness and worms shall in¬ 
herit him, and he shall be lifted up for a greater example, and his 
soul shall be taken away of the number.” (Eccli. xix, 2, 3) 

“It is certainly impossible to avoid wavering in the faith if you lead 
an impure life.” (S. Chrys.) 

2°. Hardness of heart. 

From blindness of spirit the impure man falls into hardness of 
heart. He becomes insensible to the warnings of God; the truths of 
religion make no impression on him; he is deaf to the call of God. 

“What would be capable of causing an impure man to abandon his 
evil life and return to God? Prayer? But he does not pray, or at 
least he does not pray as he should. The Sacraments? But he keeps 
away from them, or if he receives them, it is only to profane them; 
either he does not declare his sins in confession, or he has not a firm 
purpose of amendment. His frequent relapses are ample proof of 
this. 

“When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man ... he saith: I 
will return into my house from whence I came out . . . Then he 
goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than him¬ 
self, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man 
is made worse than the first.” (Matth. xii, 43-45) 

These relapses produce in him hardness of heart, hardness of heart 
leads to final impenitence, and final impenitence causes eternal damna¬ 
tion. 


IMPURITY 


251 


“From luxury are produced blindness of the understanding, incon¬ 
sistency, self-love, hatred of God, love of this world, but horror and 
despair regarding the future life.” (S. Greg.) 

“Who despairing, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto 
the working of all uncleanness.” (Eph. iv, 19) 

“Sensual pleasure will not last, it will be succeeded by eternal damna¬ 
tion.” (S. Greg.) 

“The fornicator grows old, but sensual pleasure does not grow old 
with him; take away the children and among adults few are saved 
because of the sins of the flesh.” (S. Remig.) 

“Licentiousness is the mother of impenitence.” (S. Cypr.) 

“They will not set their thoughts to return to their God; for the 
spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they have not known 


the Lord.” (Os. v, 4) 

“How great the iniquity and how lamentable the perversity that, for 
a pleasure which lasts but one moment, the sensual man should sell 
to the devil the soul which Christ redeemed by His blood!” (S. 
Aug.) 

A careful watch must, therefore, be kept over the senses: “Lord, 
turn away my eyes that they may not see vanity;” the mind must be 
kept occupied, and the occasions of sin carefully avoided. The flesh 
must be chastened by fasting and mortification, recourse must be had 
to prayer, to the Sacraments, and to the intercession of the Mother 
of God. 

“Destroy the enemy while he is weak. The cockle should be rooted 
out from the seed, lest it grow up.” (S. Jerome) 

“Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall 
I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a 
harlot?” (1 Cor. vi, 15) 

“When any impure thought disturbs me, I fly to the wounds of 

Christ.” (S. Aug.) /c 

“When you are disturbed by lust, think of the fire of hell. O 

Bonav.) . .. N 

“Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sm. (Eccli. vn, 40) 

“When the mind is urged on to impure pleasures, let the fear of 
the divine judgments and the eternal torments be placed before the 
eyes, because all pain is undoubtedly conquered by the fear of a 
greater punishment.” (S. Isid.) 

“There is nothing more capable of subduing the lewdness of the 
flesh than the thought of what a man will be in death.” (S. Bonav.) 



252 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


Divisions 

I 

Impurity, i. A sign of reprobation; 2. A cause of reprobation. 

1. A sign of reprobation. 

Because there is nothing in this life that gives us a better idea of the 
state of the damned souls. Four things indicate to us the state of 
the souls in hell; darkness, disorder, slavery, and the worm of con¬ 
science. But of all sins impurity is the one, 

i°. That throws a man into a profound darkness of spirit by caus¬ 
ing him to lose three kinds of knowledge: the knowledge of himself, 
the knowledge of his own sin, and the knowledge of God; 

2°. That plunges him into the most deadly disorders; 

3 °. That binds him most securely under the dominion of satan; 

4 °. That forms in his conscience a worm with the most bitter sting. 

2. The cause of reprobation. 

This vice leads to final impenitence. 

i°. There is no sin that renders a sinner more liable to relapse; 

2°. There is no sin that exposes the sinner more to the temptation 
of despair; 

3 °. There is no sin that holds the sinner more tightly bound by 
habit. 

II 

i. The sad effects of impurity. 2. The difficulty of conversion 
from this sin. 

1. Effects. 

i°. It causes dishonor; 

2°. It robs the impure man of his property; 

3°. It causes the loss of his soul. 

2 . Difficulty of conversion from this sin. 

i°. There is no vice that removes the soul farther from God; 

2°. There is no vice that is more opposed to the conversion of the 
sinner. 

III 

Of all vices impurity is that, 

1. The occasions of which most frequently occur; they must be 
avoided; 

2. The ravages of which are most dreadful: they must be feared; 


IMPURITY 


253 

3. The remedies for which are most difficult: they must be sought 


Examples and punishments. 

David, for having cast a glance too full of curiosity, fell into the 
greatest crimes, which caused numerous evils . . . Solomon, Samson. 

Chastisements which God inflicted on the infamous old men who 
attacked the chaste Susanna . . . Heavenly protection for pure souls. 

Models of chastity: the holy Patriarch Joseph; S. Thomas Aquinas; 
S. Bernardine of Siena; S. Aloysius. 


XLIII 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

AVOIDING DANGEROUS OCCASIONS 

“He that loves the danger shall perish therein.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

Flight from the world is one of the most powerful means of sanc¬ 
tification. This is what S. John the Baptist taught us when he with¬ 
drew into the desert. 

If we do not fly from the world, we should at least avoid the dan¬ 
gerous occasions that are met with at every step, and that are always 
opposed to our sanctification. 

Danger in the occasion of sin: I. It is often a sin to expose one¬ 
self to it without need; II. It is at least usually the cause of sin. 

I. IT IS OFTEN A SIN TO EXPOSE ONESELF TO THE OCCASION 
OF SIN WITHOUT NEED 

By an occasion of sin is meant every person, place or thing that, as 
a rule, is the means of leading us into sin if we go in quest of it; and 
I say that to expose ourselves to such danger without need is to desire 
our own destruction. “He who loves the danger shall perish in it.” 
That is the general principle. But I do not mean to say that every 
occasion is a sin. When, then, is the occasion sinful in itself and when 
is it not? 

The occasion of sin is sinful in itself, (1) when it is voluntary, (2) 
when it is proximate, (3) when it is proximate, more especially with 
regard to us. 


1. When it is voluntary 

There are occasions that are involuntary, e. g., those that arise from 
circumstances independent of our will, and which we cannot avoid. 
Such was that in which the chaste Susanna found herself. 

2. When it is proximate 

There are occasions that are remote. Such are those that are not 
closely connected with the sin, and in which we can by the help of 
grace preserve ourselves from falling. It is not exactly a sin to ex- 

254 


AVOIDING DANGEROUS OCCASIONS 


255 

pose oneself to such occasions: “Otherwise you must needs go out 
of this world.” (1 Cor. v, 10) 

A proximate occasion is that which so excites one to commit the 
sin that when a man exposes himself to it, he rarely escapes falling. 
To expose oneself to such an occasion is in itself a sin deserving of 
chastisement and of the refusal of absolution. 

3. When it is proximate, especially with regard to us 

The occasion may be remote in itself, though it may be proximate 
and dangerous to an individual because of weakness or habit. 

All admit these principles; but very few are willing to apply them 
to their own individual conduct. They persuade themselves, 

1°. that an occasion is necessary when it is entirely voluntary; 

2°. that it is remote when in reality it is proximate and personal. 

i°. What is more common than to hear people excuse themselves 
for going into the occasion of sin by alleging some pretended necessity 
for their doing so? “I am young ... I must go to that place . . . 
I must have recreation ... I am engaged in a business that obliges 
me to do such things. . . .” 

You are young, but what necessity compels you to associate with 
libertines,—to read those dangerous books,—to frequent dance-halls? 
Your business is a difficult one; but what compels you to interfere in 
matters that are outside your duties? What necessity forces you to 
keep a public-house? S. Charles says that people should not remain 
in such employments when experience shows them that they cannot 
do so without exposing themselves to the danger of eternal damnation. 

“If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. 
(Matth. v, 29) 

“By this occasion your children shall turn away our children from 
the fear of the Lord.” (Jos. xxii, 25) 

“Thou forsakest not them that trust in Thee, and Thou humblest 
them that presume of themselves, and that glory in their own strength. 
(Judith vi, 15) 

“In his presumption S. Peter was ignorant of his own strength, but 
he gained a knowledge of it in his denial. (S. Aug.) 

“Why should you remain in that house where each day you must 
of necessity either perish or conquer? (S. Jerome.) 

2° Another illusion is to believe an occasion to be remote when 
in reality it is proximate. What! You do not call these secret meet¬ 
ings, these free and familiar conversations, this company-keeping, 
proximate occasions of sin! You deceive yourself: 


256 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

“Go out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” 
(2 Cor. vi, 17) 

“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer 
the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

“It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having 
two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.” (Matth. 
xviii, 8) 

Yes, if that person is as dear to you as your right eye, if this pro¬ 
fession, this employment, is as necessary to you as your foot or your 
hand, yet if they are an occasion of sin for you, you must separate 
yourself from them, you must quit them. There is question of the 
salvation of your soul. 

“Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of 
theirs, lest you be involved in their sins.” (Numb, xvi, 26) 

“Depart, depart, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; 
go out of the midst of her.” (Is. lii, 11) 

“Flee, save your lives.” (Jer. xlviii, 6) 

“Flee ye from the midst of Babylon.” {Ibid, li, 6) 

“It is a deceitful hope which causes the sinner to think he can save 
his soul in the midst of that which nourishes sin.” (S. Aug.) 

II. THE DANGEROUS OCCASION IS AT LEAST THE 
USUAL CAUSE OF SIN 

Without distinguishing here the proximate occasion from that which 
is remote, it can be said that it is always the cause of sin when people 
expose themselves to it without sufficient reason, and remain in it 
without precaution; and this in two ways: 

1. The one by way of temptation; 2. the other because of the with¬ 
drawal of grace. 

1. We are never more strongly tempted, more dangerously disposed 
to sin, than when in the occasion of sin 

Nothing excites the passion more than the presence of the object, 
because only one step is necessary to bring us to commit the sin, and 
we are almost certain to take that step, especially when our natural 
inclination draws us that way. If then to this natural inclination we 
add the dangerous occasion, we shall not restrain ourselves long, and 
shall soon take that fatal step that leads to the precipice . . . Example 
of our first parents; the serpent, figure of the occasion, presents him¬ 
self to Eve: 

“Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every 
tree of paradise?” (Gen. iii, 1) 

“And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the 


AVOIDING DANGEROUS OCCASIONS 


257 

eyes, and delightful to behold, and she took of the fruit thereof, and 
did eat.” {Ibid., 6) 

Eve became the occasion of sin for Adam: “And she gave to her 
husband, who did eat.” {Ibid.) 

Ah! if I put to many people the question God put to those first 
criminals: “Where art thou ? . . . Why hast thou done this ?” 
would they not answer: “The occasion deceived me. The serpent 
deceived me . . . The woman Thou gavest to be my companion, gave 
me of the tree, and I did eat.” Into what sacrileges, what profanation, 
what debauchery have you fallen? You, a woman who until now 
have led so good a life? You, a young girl, formerly so reserved, so 
modest? “Where art thou?” “How is the gold become dim, the fin¬ 
est color is changed!” (Lament, iv, 1). “Ah! the occasion dragged 
me on,” you say; “the serpent deceived me.” But in the sight of 
God are these lawful excuses? Should you not have distrusted your 
own weakness and strengthened yourself against the occasion? Could 
you not have done so? 

“Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath 
justice with injustice?” (2 Cor. vi, 14) 

“Go out from her [Babylon], my people, that you be not partakers 
of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.” (Apoc. xviii, 4) 

“You will not remain long uninjured when placed near the serpent.” 

(S. Isid.) 

“He who walks close to a precipice, although he may not fall into 
it, yet trembles, and very often, seized by fear, falls down. In like 
manner, he who, instead of flying from sin, remains near it, lives in 
fear and falls into sin frequently.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. Because of the withdrawal of grace 

God usually refuses to give grace to him who, with rash presump¬ 
tion, exposes himself to the occasion of sin. If because of your posi¬ 
tion, or through necessity, you are exposed to this occasion, God will 
protect you. But if you voluntarily expose yourself to the danger, do 
not expect His help. 

“Who will pity an enchanter struck by a serpent, or any that come 
near wild beasts?” (Eccli. xii, 13) 

That is the position of those who rashly place themselves in the oc¬ 
casion of sin. 

“So is it with him that keepeth company with a wicked man, and is 
involved in his sins.” {Ibid.) 

Those who rashly place themselves in danger are abandoned by God. 
He will permit the sinner to fall into sins that will fill him with shame. 
He will allow the just man to be perverted and to become a criminal, 


258 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


because both are equally culpable for not having feared the occasion of 
sin, for having exposed themselves to it without reason, or for having 
remained in it without taking the necessary precautions. Dreadful but 
just chastisement of God! 

“He who acts presumptuously has less fear, is less careful, is more 
exposed to danger.” (Tert.) 

“The whole world is seated in wickedness.” (1 John v, 19) 

“As often as I have been among men, I returned less a man.” 

( Imit B. I, c. 20) 

“He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.” 
(1 Cor. x, 12) 

“He that is aware of the snares, shall be secure.” (Prov. xi, 15) 

“Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent.” (Eccli. xxi, 2) 

“Fly from the occasion of sin if you would gain the victory.” (S. 
Aug.) _ I 

“He who does not wish to fly from danger, wishes to perish.” (Id.) 

“If your whole house was on fire, and you saw that you would be 
burned alive unless you dashed out and abandoned all, would you 
not at once leave the house and everything in it, and save your 
life? Act in like manner when your soul is in danger, that you may 
save it and yourself from burning in the fire of hell. But if you 
will not do so: Your perdition is your own.” (Dens, De Paen., n. 

135) 

“If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange 
gods from among you.” (1 Kings vii, 3) 

“Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.” (Eccli. 
vii, 2) 

“Let every man cast away the scandals of his eyes.” (Ezech. 
xx, 7) 

“Such of them as shall flee shall escape; and they shall be in the 
mountains like doves of the valley, all of them trembling.” (Ezech. 
vii, 16) 


Divisions 

I 

Three things commonly induce men to place themselves in the occa¬ 
sion of sin: 

1. Wicked counsels; these must not be followed, however trust¬ 
worthy and plausible they may seem. 

2. Confidence in their own strength : however well-founded this 



AVOIDING DANGEROUS OCCASIONS 


259 

confidence may appear, they must mistrust themselves and fear the 
occasion. 

3. Love of worldly interests. “What doth it profit a man if he 
gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?” 

II 

We easily fall when in the occasion of sin, 

1. because of our own weakness; 

2. because of the power which our enemies have over us when we 
expose ourselves to the occasion, since we are already half-conquered 
by the passion that makes us face the danger; 

3. because of the justice of God , who abandons those that expose 
themselves to dangerous occasions. 

III 

The just should Hy from the occasions of sin in order that they may 
remain strong;—sinners, in order to regain strength. 

Examples: Eve, David, Solomon, Samson, fell into sin because 
they exposed themselves to dangerous occasions. 

In order to avoid falling into sin, Tobias “alone fled the company of 
all, and went to Jerusalem to the temple of the Lord, and there adored 
the Lord God of Israel.” (Tob. i, 5, 6) 

S. Peter denied Jesus Christ because, presuming on his own strength, 
he exposed himself to the occasion of sin. 


XLIV 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

ON AVOIDING BAD COMPANY 

“Depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity.” (Ps. vi, 9) 

In this world the wicked are mingled with the just. The just must 
bear with them; but for how long? 

“The good endure the wicked, until in the end they are separated.” 
(S. Aug.) 

We should pray that God may convert them; but we should avoid 
their company as much as possible. 

“My son, if sinners shall entice thee, consent not to them. If they 
shall say: Come with us . . . Cast in thy lot with us, let us all have 
one purse. My son, walk not with them, restrain thy foot from their 
paths. For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.” 
(Prov. i, 10-16) 

I cannot propose to you anything more useful than this advice of the 
wise man, which you should follow, whether you be just or sinners. 
I. Those who are free from sin must avoid bad company if they wish 
to persevere in virtue. II. Sinners must avoid bad company if they 
wish to withdraw from sin and return to God. 

I. THOSE WHO ARE JUST MUST AVOID BAD COMPANY IF 
THEY WISH TO PERSEVERE IN VIRTUE 

1. God is holy at all times and in all places. 

“The Lord is faithful in all His words; and holy in all His works.” 
(Ps. cxliv, 13) 

“But Thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel.” (Ps. 
xxi, 4) 

It is not so with man: he can hardly go abroad without suffering a 
loss of virtue: “As often as I have been among men I have returned 
less a man.” ( Imit .) Thus, however free from sin we believe our¬ 
selves to be, we should always fear the corruption that reigns in the 
world, and above all, we should avoid taking pleasure in the company 
of the wicked. 


260 


ON AVOIDING BAD COMPANY 261 

“Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of 
evil men please thee.” (Prov. iv, 14) 

Why? Because with the wicked, (1) You will usually not do 
the good you should do; (2) You will often do the evil you should 
avoid. 

“He that walketh with the wise, shall be wise: a friend of fools 
shall become like to them.” (Prov. xiii, 20) 

If it is true that he who walks with the wise shall himself become 
wise, it is still truer that the friend of sinners shall become like to 
them; because we have no need of a master to teach us evil: corrupt 
nature entices us to it. What will happen, then, if we join the com¬ 
pany of the wicked? We shall soon become accustomed to live as 
they live; or at least, we shall not do the good we should do. 

Remember the case of Josaphat. He was a pious king; but he 
tarnished the lustre of his glory by forming an alliance with Achab, 
King of Israel, who was an impious man. The Prophet Jehu reproved 
him: 

“Thou helpest the ungodly, and thou art joined in friendship with 
them that hate the Lord.” (2 Paral. xix, 2) 

It is, then, very dangerous to be found in the company of the wicked. 
If you try to correct them, they will mock you: 

“I became a by-word to them, . . . and they that drank wine made 
me their song.” (Ps. lxviii, 12) 

“Salvation is far from sinners; because they have not sought Thy 
justification.” (Ps. cxviii, 155) 

“Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of 
theirs, lest you be involved in their sins.” (Num. xvi, 26) 

“Beware thou never join in friendship with the inhabitants of that 
land, which may be thy ruin.” (Exod. xxxiv, 12) 

“To be associated with the just is profitable both for instruction and 
as a proof of virtue.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Young people show that they imitate those with whom they as¬ 
sociate. It may be taken for granted that their manner of life will 
be formed on the lives of those with whom they associate.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“As bad air, constantly breathed, corrupts the body, so evil con¬ 
versation, frequently heard, corrupts the souls of the weak; and from 
taking pleasure in bad conversation they soon come to take delight in 
evil deeds.” (S. Greg.) 

“The good man is so connected with him who is wicked, that they 
are either rendered similar, or are soon separated; for friendship either 

seeks or makes equals.” (S. Chrys.) , . . 

“It is of the nature of things that as often as a just man is joined 


262 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


to a sinner, the sinner is not improved by the just, but the just is 
contaminated by the sinner. ,, (Id.) 

“It is better to detest the wicked than to associate with them. Just 
as the community life of saints confers many benefits, so the society 
of the wicked causes many evils.” (S. Isid.) 

God suffers the wicked to exist. 

“Think not that the wicked are in this world for nothing, and that 
God does no good by them: every sinner lives either that he may be 
converted, or that a just man may be exercised through him.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“To be good in the company of virtuous persons is easy enough, 
but to be good in the society of the wicked is a proof of heroic virtue. 
In the one case your reward will be in proportion to your security; in 
the other, your virtue and merit will be measured in proportion to the 
difficulty you had to contend with.” (S. Bern.) 

“Those who can persevere in virtue when in the society of the 
wicked are really good.” (S. Greg.) 

2. In the company of sinners not only will you not do what is good , 
but you will very often imitate the evil you see them do 

There are in the world two great societies that make unceasing war 
against each other: the society of the good and that of the wicked. 

“The sinner shall watch the just man; and shall gnash upon him 
with his teeth.” (Ps. xxxvi, 12) 

“That he may make him a sinner.” (S. Aug.) 

“The wicked have drawn out the sword ... to kill the upright of 
heart.” (Ps. xxxvi, 14) 

“The just abhor a wicked man; and the wicked loathe them that are 
in the right way.” (Prov. xxix, 27) 

“What participation hath justice with injustice? or what fellowship 
hath light with darkness ? And what concord hath Christ with Belial ?” 
(2 Cor. vi, 14, 15) 

“Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious 
man; lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and take scandal to thy soul.” 
(Prov. xxii, 24, 25) 

“He that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled with it; and he that hath 
fellowship with the proud, shall put on pride.” (Eccli. xiii, 1) 

“Evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Cor. xv, 33) 

“The example of evil men is infectious; and you quickly imitate 
the vices of those whose virtues you cannot acquire.” (S. Jerome) 

What must be done, then? Avoid them. That is what S. Paul 
commands: 

“I wrote to you . . . not to keep company with fornicators . . . 


ON AVOIDING BAD COMPANY 


263 


If any man that is named a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, . . . 
with such an one not so much as to eat . . . Put away the evil one 
from among yourselves/’ (1 Cor. v, 9, 11, 13) 

“Know you not that a little leaven corrupteth the whole lump?” 

(Ibid., 6) 

The Apostle believed this advice to be so necessary that he repeated 
it to the Thessalonians: 

“We charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly.” 
(2 Thess. iii, 6) 

Up to the present you have been prudent, chaste, modest; but 
that libertine whom you are looking at does not possess these qualities: 
his language and conduct are capable of causing you to lose your 
treasure of grace and purity; you must avoid him. But, you say, he 
is my neighbor, my relative. No matter. Remember you cannot too 
carefully avoid the infected atmosphere of this world, if you would 
keep yourself in the grace of God. 

“The perverse heart did not cleave to Me; and the malignant, that 
turned aside from Me, I would not know. The man that in private 
detracted his neighbor, him did I persecute. With him that had a 
proud eye and an insatiable heart, I would not eat. (Ps. c, 4 > 5 ) 

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is seated in 


wickedness.” (1 John v, 19) 

The Jews were the people of God; He had worked innumerable 
miracles in their favor; nevertheless they forgot all, because 

“They were mingled among the heathens, and learned their works; 
and served their idols, and it became a stumbling-block to them.’ 

(Ps cv 35, 36) 

“I have not sat with the council of vanity; neither will I go in with 
the doers of unjust things.” (Ps. xxv, 4) 

“Depart from me, ye malignant.” (Ps. cxviii, 115) 

“I beheld the transgressors, and I pined away . . . My zeal hath 
made me pine away.” (Ps. cxviii, 118, 139) „ 

“Contend not with the wicked, nor seek to be like the ungodly. 

(Prov. xxiv, 19) „ , e 1 

“Go out from her, My people; that you be not partakers of her sms, 

and that you receive not of her plagues.” (Apoc. xvm, 4) 

“Why should you remain in that house in which you must of neces¬ 
sity either perish altogether or fall away? What sane man would 
think of sleeping in safety beside a deadly serpent? (S. Jerome) 
“Have for^our advisers and the witnesses of your life and honor 
persons who are wise in council, obedient to authority, and faithful to 
their friends and companions.’ (S. Bern.) 


264 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


II. SINNERS MUST AVOID BAD COMPANY IF THEY WISH TO 
GIVE UP SIN AND RETURN TO GOD 

Bad company is an obstacle to conversion; and this for two reasons: 
(1) Because it drives them away from the practice of virtue; (2) 
because it makes them plunge more deeply into crime. 

1. It drives them away from the practise of virtue 

Sinners, do you wish to return to God? 

“Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.”(Eccli. 
vii, 2) 

Do you wish to become chaste? Avoid that impure companion. 
Do you desire to lead a more regular life? Do not be found any 
more in the company of that drunkard, who has so often caused you 
to spend Sundays and holidays in debauchery, quarrelling, and gam¬ 
bling. That is how you must begin if you seriously desire to return 
to God. 

“I have restrained my feet from every evil way; that I may keep 
Thy words.” (Ps. cxviii, 101) 

That is what David did. You are in the same position as that holy 
King: 

“Many dogs have encompassed me.” (Ps. xxi, 17) 

“Dogs barking, not in favor of truth, but through custom.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Do not believe,” they say, “all that is preached. If you are so 
timid, people will laugh at you.” 

Beware of this treacherous language. Sinners have no other object 
in view than to remove the fear of God from your heart, that they 
may more easily lead you into sin. 

“You should avoid the company of the wicked, lest, if they do not 
amend their lives, they induce you to imitate their bad example; and 
when they themselves are not changed, they may pervert those who 
are in their society.” (S. Greg.) 

2. It makes them plunge more deeply into crime 

If you do not give up bad company, you will be drawn more and 
more into evil. The more bad examples you see, the more familiar 
you become with sins you should avoid. Evil is done through com¬ 
placency : 

“When it is said: Let us go, let us do it, the immodest person 
does not feel any shame.” (S. Aug.) 

People sometimes come to that state where they are ashamed of not 
being as wicked as others: 


ON AVOIDING BAD COMPANY 


265 


“They took pleasure in doing evil, not only in the lust of the deed, 
but even in that of the praise [of their bad companions].” (S. Aug.) 

“I was plunging headlong so blindly, that when I heard my con¬ 
temporaries boasting of their crimes and glorying all the more, the 
more infamous they were, I felt ashamed at having committed sins 
less disgraceful than theirs.” (S. Aug.) 

“Behold the kind of companions with whom I used to walk the 
streets of Babylon. I wallowed in the sink of that wretched city as 
if my way lay among flowers and precious ointments!” (S. Aug.) 

Is not this what many young people do? 

Are there found many whose conduct resembles that of Tobias: 
“He alone fled the company of all, and went to Jerusalem to the 
temple of the Lord, and there adored the Lord God of Israel . . . 
When all ate of the meats of the Gentiles he kept his soul, and never 
was defiled with their meats.” (Tob. i, 5, 6, 12) 

Have you acted in a like manner? 

How many times, on the contrary, has not bad company made you 
break the fast or the abstinence, or miss Mass? 

“Your assemblies are wicked.” (Is. i, 13) 

Tell me your company, and I will tell you what you are. 

“Every man shall associate himself to his like.” (Eccli. xiii, 20) 
“Depart, depart, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing: 
go ye out of the midst of her.” (Is. lii, n) 

“Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the un¬ 
godly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pesti¬ 
lence.” (Ps. i, 1) 

Remark the order of these words: Walked, stood, sat. Happy 
is he who can avoid bad companions, “who has not walked”; but since 
bad companions cannot be avoided at all times, happy is he who does 
not unite with them, “who hath not stood”; happier still is he^ who 
does not willingly associate with them or adopt their maxims; who 

hath not sat.” . . _ , „ , c * n 

“There is no salvation except in the society of God. (b. Aug.) 

“Be continually with a holy man, whomsoever thou shalt know to 
observe the fear of God.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 15) , J f 

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 

rather reprove them.” (Eph. v, n) 

“Do not keep company with him [the disobedient man], that he may 

be ashamed.” (2 Thess. iii, 14) .. _ 

“Where there are two or three gathered together m My name, there 

am I in the midst of them.” (Matth. xviii, 20) 



266 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


Divisions 

I 

There are three things that usually cause us to frequent the company 
of the wicked, and these things impose on us three kinds of ob¬ 
ligations : 

1. Our own inclination induces us to go into such company; and 
because of this we are under an indispensable obligation to avoid such 
companions, and to leave them as soon as possible, whenever we find 
ourselves in their midst, lest we imitate them and become like them. 

2. Necessity; when we are forced to it by our state or position. 
In this case we should be careful to profit by the company even of 
the wicked, by bearing patiently their mockeries, etc., by strengthen¬ 
ing ourselves in our hatred of vice, at the sight of the evils it causes 
and of the disagreeable sensations it produces in us. 

3. Charity sometimes induces us to go into the company of the 
wicked: then we should strive by our example and advice to bring 
them back to God. 

II 

A person should avoid bad company, because in frequenting it: 

1. He becomes perverted, if he is innocent; 

2. He becomes confirmed in his disorders, if he has already begun 
to lead a sinful life; 

3. He exposes himself to the same end and incurs the same dangers, 
as the wicked with whom he associates. 

III 

It is particularly dangerous for young people to keep bad company: 

1. Because that age is susceptible to all bad impressions; 

2. Because it is not easy to withdraw young people from this danger 
when their habits are once formed; 

3. Because they naturally imitate what is evil rather than what is 
good; and because the first impressions they receive from bad com¬ 
panions remain with them during life. 


XLV 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 

DANCES AND BALLS 

“He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

Among the proximate occasions of sin the most dangerous are dances 
and balls. 

I know all I undertake in speaking against these amusements, but 
I know also that God has not charged me with the ministry of the 
word in order that I might treat sinners gently to the danger of their 
salvation and my own. I. Dances and balls are proximate occasions 
of sin that often lead to eternal reprobation. II. The reasons brought 
forward to justify them are very frivolous. 

I. DANCES AND BALLS ARE PROXIMATE OCCASIONS OF SIN 
THAT OFTEN LEAD TO ETERNAL REPROBATION 

Confessors should defer absolution to those who are unwilling to 
abandon the proximate occasions of mortal sin. But dances and balls 
are generally the rocks on which virtue is wrecked, the tomb of mod¬ 
esty, and the triumph of all the passions. This is proved by Holy 
Scripture, by tradition, and by reason. 

1. S. Scripture does not speak of dances and balls at the marriage 
of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, but only of prayers. 

Sara, the wife of young Tobias, wishing to justify herself before 
God, spoke these words: “Never have I joined myself with them that 
play; neither have I made myself partaker with them that walk in 
lightness.” (Tob. iii, 17) 

“I sat not in the assembly of jesters.” (Jer. xv, 17) 

“Use not much the company of her that is a dancer, and harken not 
to her, lest perhaps thou perish by the force of her charms.” (Eccli. 
ix, 4) 

“They have . . . angered Me with their vanities.” (Deut. xxxii, 21) 

“The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 
(Exod. xxxii, 6) 

“When he [Moses] came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf and 
the dances; and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his 
hand.” (Exod. xxxii, 19) 

267 


268 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


“On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced . . . and 
pleased Herod.” (Matth. xiv, 6) 

2. The Holy Fathers. 

S. Ephrem says: “Where music and dancing are, there are blind¬ 
ness of men, ruin of women, sadness of the angels, and the feast of 
devils.” Then he adds: “He who taught the worship of idols taught 
also indulgence in pleasure.” 

The Israelites danced before the golden calf. 

“What modesty can there be where dancing is?” (S. Ambr.) 

“Let the daughter of an adulteress dance,” says the same saint, 
“but a chaste and modest mother should teach her children religion and 
not dancing.” 

He calls the dance an assembly of the dissolute. 

“It is better to plough on the Lord’s Day than to take part in danc¬ 
ing.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who would jest with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ.” 
(S. Pet. Chrysol.) 

“If a chaste woman by chance take part in a dance, she returns 
from it unchaste.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Whatever is said and done there partakes of the pomp of Satan.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“Dancing is the ruin of all virtue.” (S. Chrys.) 

“These public dances are the chief incentives to vice, and are a 
powerful weapon for the corruption of souls.” (Lact.) 

S. Charles Borromeo says: “Who can persuade himself that in a 
circle of which the devil is the centre, and the other rebel angels are 
the circumference, he will not be moved, and will preserve his in¬ 
nocence ?” 

3. Various Church councils have forbidden dancing. That of Lao- 
dicea, in 364, that of Constantinople, in 691, eight councils of France, 
etc. The Council of Aix-la-Chapelle calls dances infamous actions, 
unworthy of a Christian. 

4. Reason. In other occasions of sin one is not solicited to evil by all 
the senses at the same time, but in dances and balls young people are 
attacked by all that can give an entrance to sensual pleasure—eyes, 
ears, the imagination, familiarity between young people of different 
sexes, etc. What is the result? Licentiousness, disgrace brought on 
families. Should it not be said that places where balls are held are 
like places of public debauchery, in which fathers and mothers deliver 
up their daughters to the pleasure of evil-minded and dissolute men? 

What dangers are incurred in going to balls, in returning from them 
in the darkness of night! Experience will give the answer. It is 


DANCES AND BALLS 269 

certain that dances and balls have at all times been most injurious to 
good morals. 

Those who co-operate in organizing a ball, by so doing share in all 
the sins of which it is the occasion. 

II. THE REASONS GIVEN TO JUSTIFY BALLS AND DANCES 
ARE VERY FRIVOLOUS 

On the day of judgment these reasons and pretexts will be exam¬ 
ined at the tribunal of Jesus Christ; but while awaiting that awful 
judgment let us examine them in detail. 

1. “Religion,” it is said, “permits amusements.” Yes, if they are 
modest, but not if they are dangerous, and I have proved to you that 
balls and dances are full of danger. Religion does not forbid us to 
rejoice; but it wishes us to rejoice in the Lord. “Gaudete in Domino 
But do people rejoice in and with the Lord at dances and balls? You 
would be shocked at seeing there persons consecrated to God by state 
and profession,—a priest, for example. And yet priests are no more 
forbidden to rejoice than you are. On what, then, is founded that 
distinction which you pretend to establish between yourselves and 
those consecrated to God ? Did you not take the same engagements at 
Baptism to renounce Satan and his works and pomps? Do you doubt 
that dances are among the works of Satan? If they are not the works 
of Satan, they must be the works of Jesus Christ; there is no medium. 
If they are the works of Jesus Christ, Jesus approves of them, He 
dances in the person of the dancers, He animates them? Far from 
us be such a thought. 

2. It is said that the saints of the Old Testament sometimes gave 
expression to their joy in dancing. Yes, but they did so only to thank 
God for His benefits and as a sign of their gratitude, while worldlings 
dance only for pleasure; and what pleasure! 

3. People say: “Everything in this world is full of danger; ob¬ 
jects of fear are found even in the holiest places; must we then quit 
the world?” You are not asked to do so. What you are asked to do 
is, not to confound the proximate occasion of sin with that which is 
remote; to distinguish between the dangers to which you voluntarily 
expose’yourself, and those that are unavoidable. 

4. Some one says: “I go to dances, and I always return from 
them innocent.” Who speaks thus ? Is it one of those virtuous, pious, 
modest people? No, such people rarely appear at balls. Who, then, 
is it that speaks in this way? A young libertine—a girl given up to 
pleasure—those so-called decent people of the world who, m giving 
way to their passions, fear nothing but the disgrace which exposure 


270 


THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT 


would bring on them, who reproach' themselves only with the crime 
that is consummated. What does this prove if not a strange corrup¬ 
tion of heart? 

5. Again: “S. Francis of Sales permits dancing. ,, I am very far 
from admitting that S. Francis of Sales simply permitted dancing; 
on the contrary, he speaks of it in terms calculated to turn away from 
it any one who has preserved sentiments of piety. I am going to 
explain his teaching to you, and I tell you beforehand, I am quite will¬ 
ing that you should put it into practice. (See “Introduction to a De¬ 
vout Life,” part III, c. 33.) 

6. Others, such as innkeepers and publicans, say that balls must be 
held in order that people may live and support their families. But 
cannot such people gain a living in a more honorable, and especially 
in a more Christian way, as so many others do? Let them consider 
that what they gain to the injury of virtue, being badly acquired, will 
not benefit them. They profane the Lord’s Day and cause others to 
profane it; they are the cause of innumerable sins committed at or 
because of the dance. Young people, this teaching will appear to you 
very strict, you will perhaps despise it. But, alas! the day will come 
when you will recognize the truth of my words. 

“Their little ones go out like a flock, and their children dance and 
play. They take the timbrel and the harp, and rejoice at the sound 
of the organ.” (Job xxi, 11, 12) 

What will that end in? 

“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down 
to hell.” {Ibid., 13) 

But you, at least, fathers and mothers, will be more disposed to 
learn that you must shield your children. Remember that their sins, 
which you should have prevented, will be imputed to you. 

“I will require his blood at thy hands.” (Ezech. iii, 18) 

God will perhaps forgive you your own sins, but you will be con¬ 
demned for the sins you allowed your children to commit. 


Division 

Balls and dances should be avoided, 

1. Because of the sins people commit in preparing for them, by 
dressing in garments that savor little of Christian modesty, by the 
loss of peace of soul, caused by the thought of the ball, of appearing 
there, of being remarked and envied by others; 

2. Because of the familiarities, liberties, looks, etc., that are per¬ 
mitted there; 



DANCES AND BALLS 


271 


3. Because people often return from such places with a worldly 
dissipated spirit and a mind occupied with evil thoughts and desires, 
an imagination filled with the seductive objects seen there, and some¬ 
times with unlawful attachments. 


XLVI 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

ROBBERY—LARCENY 

“Thou shalt not steal.” (Exod. xx, 15) 

Impurity is not the only vice that is spread over the earth like a 
deluge; injustice is hardly less common in the world: “Theft and 
adultery have overflowed.” (Os. iv, 2). Consider: I. The gravity 
of theft; II. How common it is; III. The reasons given to justify 
it; IV. The punishment of this sin. 


I. THE GRAVITY OF THEFT 

i. The seventh commandment forbids us to take and keep unjustly 
what belongs to another, and also unjustly to cause injury 
to our neighbor 

Theft is of its nature a mortal sin. 

“The Lord thy God' abhorreth him that doth these things, and He 
hateth all injustice.” (Deut. xxv, 16) 

“Do not err: neither thieves nor extortioners shall possess the king¬ 
dom of God.” (1 Cor. vi, 10) 

“Woe to him that heapeth together that which is not his own; how 
long also doth he load himself with thick clay?” (Habac. ii, 6) 

“This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the earth: for 
every thief shall be judged.” (Zach. v, 3) 

“They that will become rich fall into temptation, and into the snare 
of the devil.” (1 Tim. vi, 9) 

2. Theft is contrary to the natural law 

“See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done 
to thee by another.” (Tob. iv, 16) 

“All things therefore, whatsoever you would that men should do to 
you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets.” 
(Matth. vii, 12) 


272 


ROBBERY—LARCENY 


273 


3. Injustice is so hated by all men that the very name of thief brings 
with it its own shame and punishment 

“Confusion and repentance is upon a thief.” (Eccli. v, 17) 

The very name of thief fills one with disgust and loathing. 

“A law written in the heart of man, which is not effaced even by 
iniquity; for what thief patiently tolerates a thief?” (S. Aug.) 

Theft is, then, of its nature a mortal sin; though owing to smallness 
of matter it may be only venial. 


II. THEFT AND FRAUD ARE UNFORTUNATELY VERY COMMON 

“Their mind studieth robberies, and their lips speak deceits.” 
(Prov. xxiv, 2) 


1. People cheat in commerce 

“Thou shalt not have divers weights in thy bag, a greater and a less. 
Neither shall there be in thy house a greater bushel and a less. . . . 
For the Lord thy God abhorreth him that doth these things.” (Deut. 
xxv, 13, 14) 

“Do not any unjust thing in judgment, in rule, m weight, or in 
measure. Let the balance be just and the weights equal.” (Levit. 

xix, 35, 36) , , 1 • -ui 

“Diverse weights and diverse measures, both are abominable be¬ 
fore God. ... A deceitful balance is not good.” (Prov. xx, 10, 23) 
“Thy merchants [Babylon] from thy youth, every one hath erred in 

his own way.” (Is. xlvii, 15) , , 

Monopoly. “That no man might buy or sell but he that hath the 
character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 

(Apoc. xiii, 17) 1 * , . 

“He that hideth up corn shall be cursed among the people; but a 

blessing upon the head of them that sell.” (Prov. xi, 26) 


2. Trustees sin when they do not faithfully administer the property 
of widows and orphans 

Employers who withhold the wages of their workmen. 

“Behold the hire of the laborers, who have reaped down your fields, 
which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of 
them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (J^ v , 4) 
“He that taketh away the bread gotten by sweat, is like him that 

killeth his neiehbor.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 26) , 

“Masters, do to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing 
that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Coloss, iv, 1) 

“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his 


274 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” 
(Tob. iv, 15) 

3. Workmen and domestic servants, who do not do their work faith¬ 
fully, who do not take care of their masters' property, who steal under 

the pretence of compensation, commit a sin 

It is to these the Apostle says : 

“Not defrauding, but in all things showing great fidelity.” (Tit. 

ii, 10) 

“Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a 
penny? Take what is thine and go thy way.” (Matth. xx, 13, 14) 

4. Those who contract debts which they foresee they will not be able 

to pay, or who do not make an effort to pay their debts 

“Render therefore to all men their dues. . . . Owe no man any¬ 
thing.” (Rom. xiii, 7, 8) 

“Many have looked upon a thing lent as a thing found, and have 
given trouble to them that helped them. Till they receive, they kiss 
the hand of the lender, and in promises they humble their voice, etc.” 
(Eccli. xxix, 4-9) 

5. Those who shelter thieves or receive stolen goods 

“He that is a partaker with a thief hateth his own soul; he heareth 
one putting him to his oath and discovereth not.” (Prov. xxix, 24)' 
“If thou didst see a thief, thou didst run with him.” (Ps. xlix, 18) 
“If the thief be not known, the master of the house . . . shall swear 
that he did not lay his hand upon his neighbor’s good, to do any fraud 
either in ox or in ass, or anything that may bring damage.” (Exod. 
xxii, 8, 9) 

6. Those who find something that was lost, and do not strive to dis¬ 
cover the owner 

“Thou shalt not pass by if thou seest thy brother’s ox or his sheep 
go astray; but thou shalt bring them back to thy brother. And if thy 
brother be not nigh, or thou knowest him not, thou shalt bring them 
to thy house, until thy brother seek them and receive them. Thou 
shalt do in like manner with his ass and with his raiment, and with 
everything that is thy brother’s, which is lost: if thou find it neglect 
it not as pertaining to another.” (Deut. xxii, 1-3) 

“Thou hast stolen that which thou hast found and hast not returned.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Whosoever . . . shall find a thing lost, and denying it shall also 


ROBBERY—LARCENY 


275 

swear falsely . . . being convicted of the offence, he shall restore all 
that he would have gotten by fraud. ,, (Levit. vi, 2-5) 

7. Children who take the property of their parents 

“He that stealeth anything from his father, or from his mother, 
and saith: This is no sin, is the partner of a murderer.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 24) 


8 . Usurers are guilty of theft 

“Thou shalt not give him any money upon usury, nor exact of him 
any increase of fruits.” (Levit. xxv, 37) 

“He that giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase, shall such 
a one live ? He shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable 
things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.” (Ezech. 
xviii, 13) 

Injustice is practiced in various professions. 

III. THE REASONS GIVEN TO JUSTIFY THEFT 

i°. “I am obliged to steal so that I may have food for myself and 
my family.” 

2 0 . “I am only compensating myself. Others have stolen from 
me, and I am only making good my loss.” 

3 0 . “I am doing to him what he did to me.” 

“To no man rendering evil for evil.” (Rom. xii, 17) 

IV. THE EVILS CAUSED BY THEFT AND THE PUNISHMENT WHICH IT 

DESERVES 

I. Spiritual evils 

If the injury is considerable, theft is a mortal sin, entailing the loss 
of God’s grace. A thief must make restitution, and he usually finds it 
difficult to bring himself to do so. If he does not make restitution, 
he dies guilty of all these injustices, and loses his soul, and sometimes 
even causes the ruin of his family. 

“Gain in the purse and loss in the conscience; the garment is taken, 
and faith is lost; he acquires money and he loses grace.” (S. Aug.) 

2. Temporal evils 

Are the injustices which are so hurtful to the soul in the next world, 
beneficial at least in this? There is no doubt of that, you will say. 
But to think so is an error: for to do wrong to a neighbor is to expose 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


276 

yourself to the danger of becoming poorer and more miserable. This 
truth is founded on the word of God and on experience. 

“Woe to him that gathereth together an evil covetousness to his 
house, that his nest may be on high, and thinketh he may be delivered 
out of the hand of evil. Thou hast devised confusion to thy 
house. . . . For the stone shall cry out of the wall; and the timber 
that is between the joints of the building shall answer.” (Habac. ii, 
9 -11 ) 

“Some distribute their own goods and grow richer; others take 
away what is not their own, and are always in want.” (Prov. xi, 24) 
“A man that maketh haste to be rich, and envieth others, is ignorant 
that poverty shall come upon him.” (Prov. xxviii, 22) 

“The riches of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and shall 
pass away with a noise like a great thunder in rain.” (Eccli. xl, 13) 
“As yet there is a fire in the house of the wicked, the treasures of 
iniquity, and a scant measure full of wrath. Shall I justify wicked 
balances and the deceitful weights of the bag? By which her rich 
men were filled with iniquity. . . . And I therefore began to strike 
thee with desolation for thy sins.” (Mich, vi, 10-13) 

Goods unjustly gained bring no benefit. 

“Those who seek the property of others quickly deprive themselves 
of their own.” (S. Greg.) 

“No one has an unjust gain with having a just loss.” (S. Aug.) 
God does not allow thieves to escape even from human justice; 
sooner or later they are discovered. Thus Achab was rebuked by the 
Prophet Elias for having robbed Naboth of his vineyard; he humbled 
himself, clothed himself in sack-cloth, but did not give up the vine¬ 
yard; and therefore was not pardoned. (3 Kings, xxi, 1 sqq.) 

“He [Judas] was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things 
that were put therein.” (John, xii, 6) 

Tobias had a great fear of possessing what belonged to another. 
One day, on hearing the bleating of a kid which his wife had brought, 
he said: 

“Take heed, lest perhaps it be stolen; restore ye it to its owners, for 
it is not lawful for us either to eat or to touch anything that cometh 
by theft.” (Tob. ii, 21) 

Avoid all injustice, and remember that “neither thieves nor extor¬ 
tioners shall possess the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. vi, 10) 

“He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labor 
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have 
something to give to him that suffers need.” (Eph. iv, 28) 



ROBBERY—LARCENY 


277 


Divisions 

I 

1. What is theft? Different kinds of theft. 

2. Is it a great crime? Are those who commit several thefts guilty 
of mortal sin? 

3. Are children who take the property of their parents, guilty of 
theft? 

4. Wives, who take something of considerable value without the 
consent of their husband? ... A husband, without the consent of his 
wife? 

5. When do servants and workmen sin against this commandment? 

6. Are the poor, who take something from the rich to relieve them¬ 
selves in their misery, guilty of theft? 

7. Do those who cause injury to another, or who do not prevent 
such injury when they can do so, sin against this commandment? 

II 

1. The property of another may be taken, 

i°. by violence, 

2°. by cunning, 

3 0 . by fraud, 

4 0 . by usury, and 

5 0 . by usurpation. 

2. We retain the property of another, 

i°. by not restoring what we have taken, 

2°. by not paying our debts, 

3 0 . by retaining a deposit confided to our care, 

4 0 . by not furnishing accounts which we are obliged to furnish, 
5 0 * by not trying to discover the owner of property which we find. 

3. We sin against this commandment when we co-operate in acts of 
injustice, 

i°. by commanding them to be committed, 

2 0 . by counselling them, 

3 0 . by consenting to them, 

4 0 . by approving of them, 

5 0 . by concealing stolen property. 

6°. by sharing in it, 

7 0 . by keeping silence, 

8°. by not opposing thefts. 


XLVII 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

RESTITUTION 

“If it were taken away by stealth, he shall make the loss good to the 
owner.” (Exod. xxii, 12) 

To whom does this property, this money, which you possess, belong? 
“Whose image is this?” If you have acquired it lawfully, keep what 
Providence has given you; but if these things have been gained by un¬ 
just means, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God 
the things that are God’s.” (Matth. xxii, 21) 

You understand that I am going to speak to you of the obligation of 
restitution. Consider I. The gravity of the obligation of making resti¬ 
tution; II. Who is bound by this obligation, and III. How the obliga¬ 
tion should be fulfilled. 

I. GRAVITY OF THE OBLIGATION OF MAKING RESTITUTION 

The same law that forbids us to steal, commands us to restore what 
has been stolen. This obligation of restitution is founded on the nat¬ 
ural law and on the necessity of our eternal salvation, which depends 
on it; it is an indispensable obligation which admits of no excuse. 

1. Reason alone is sufficient to convince us of this obligation. “Do 
as you would be done by.” We would not wish that another should 
unjustly take possession of our property. On the observance of this 
commandment depends the good order of society. Without it every¬ 
thing would be in disorder. It is then with as much justice as wisdom 
that God has given an express command not to steal. “Thou shalt 
not steal.” But if there is a commandment that forbids the unjust 
taking of another’s property, there is also one that orders it to be 
restored to its owner, because not to restore what has been stolen is to 
do wrong to another, to continue the theft. 

2. A thief cannot save his soul unless he obtains pardon of his sin; 
but “the sin is not forgiven if restitution is not made.” 

“If the thief does not restore what he has stolen, when he can do 
so, his sorrow is pretended, not real.” (S. Aug.) 

Moreover, no matter how much good a man may do, all will be 
useless if he neglects to make restitution of that which he is bound 

278 


RESTITUTION 


279 

to restore. He must either give up this property or lose his soul; 
either make restitution or be condemned. Unjust usurpers of the 
property of others, do you understand this language? It is the lan¬ 
guage of faith, it is the language of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If 
you do not believe it you abandon your religion and it is useless to fre¬ 
quent the Sacraments. But if you believe what religion teaches you, 
are you not mad to lose your soul for a fortune which you cannot 
carry with you? 

“Lose the money, lest you lose your soul.” (S. Aug.) 

“You are not rich, and you would steal? What do you find? 
What do you lose? Oh, destructive gain! You find money, you lose 
justice.” (S. Aug.) 

“A grievous evil . . . riches kept to the hurt of the [avaricious and 
unjust] owner.” (Eccle. v, 12) 

“If that wicked man restore the pledge, and render what he had 
robbed, . . . and do no unjust thing, he shall surely live and shall not 
die.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 15) 

3. All admit this obligation. How then does it happen that so few 
make restitution? A cursed greed for this world’s goods, a craving 
for riches so blinds people that they form a false conscience for them¬ 
selves, or stifle the remorse they experience. 

“From the least of them even to the greatest, all are given to covet¬ 
ousness.” (Jer. vi, 13) 

Vain pretexts are employed for dispensing oneself from this obliga¬ 
tion of restitution. At one time people say they have a just title to 
the property; at another, that they require it to bring up their family; 
now they allege the disgrace they would incur in acknowledging them¬ 
selves guilty of injustice by making restitution; and again they say 
they are unable to fulfil this obligation. These are vain excuses. 

“What will it profit you to have begged pardon for your sin, if you 
do not repair the injury you have caused? You are bound by a two¬ 
fold crime,—first, because you have grown rich by unlawful means; 
and secondly, because you retain the wealth unlawfully gained.” (S. 
Greg. Naz.) 

II. WHO ARE BOUND BY THIS OBLIGATION 

Injustice reigns in almost every condition of life: “Theft and adul¬ 
tery have overflowed.” (Os. iv, 2). There are many, therefore, who 
are bound to make restitution. 

People are bound to restitution, either 

1. because of the property of others which they possess; or 

2. because of unjust usurpation that has been made, or 

3. on account of injury they have caused. 


28 o 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


1. Because of the property of others which they possess 

Those who possess the property of others, whether, in bad faith or 
in good, are bound to restore it. They who possess it in good faith 
are bound to restitution when they learn that the property does not 
belong to them, unless they have possessed it in good faith during the 
time prescribed by law to make such possession legal, or unless they 
lost the property while they were in good faith. 

“But,” you will ask, “why should I deprive myself of property which 
I have not acquired unjustly?” You did not act unjustly in acquiring 
the property; but when you learn that it belongs to another, you must 
restore it; for you will be guilty of injustice if you keep it. How 
many people do we not see coming into a fortune, the origin of which 
could be discovered in the injustice of those who left it to them! 

“In the simplicity of my heart I [Abimelech] have done this. And 
God said to him: I know that thou didst it with a sincere heart. 
Now, therefore, restore the man his wife [Sara]. But if thou wilt 
not restore her, know that thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. xx, 5-7) 

The possessors in bad faith (and are there not many such?) know 
that the property does not belong to them, and yet they cannot bring 
themselves to restore it. They must be forced to do so in a court of 
justice. How many deny their debts! 

“He who succeeds to an inheritance full of iniquity, although he 
himself has not stolen, possesses the property of others; another 
robbed, you possess; he stole, you enjoy the fruits.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. Unjust usurpation, that is to say, theft or larceny 

Under the name of theft are included all kinds of injustices com¬ 
mitted against others, all the deceit, all the fraud used to enable one 
to gain possession of the property of others. But how many injustices 
are there not in the world! 

i°. Injustice in the country; 2 0 . injustice in business; 3 0 . injustice 
in the courts, vindictive lawsuits, false evidence purchased with money; 
4°. injustice among families. Fathers who squander the property of 
their children, masters who retain the wages of their servants, servants 
who steal the property of their masters, etc. 

“Under the name of theft is clearly included all unlawful usurpation 
of another’s property.” (S. Aug.) 

3. On account of injury caused 

We cause injury to another directly or indirectly, by ourselves or 
by others. By ourselves, in destroying the property he possesses, or 


RESTITUTION 


281 


unjustly preventing him from acquiring property. By others, in em¬ 
ploying some one to do him an injury, or in not preventing an injury 
to him, when we are obliged to do so. 

Injury can be done to another, 

i°. in the assessment of public rates and taxes, 

2°. in preventing him by unjust means from gaining a property or 
a position which he could procure for himself. 

Finally, we are guilty of injustice, and bound to make restitution, 
when we co-operate efficaciously in the injury caused by another. 
Some co-operate positively, when they command, counsel, facilitate, or 
consent to injustice, or shelter those who commit it; others co¬ 
operate negatively, when they do not prevent the injustice or do not 
make it known when bound in duty to do so. 

“They who do such things are worthy of death; and not only they 
that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.” (Rom. 
h 32) 

Do people ever think of repairing the injuries that are the result of 
evil counsel given by them? No; they place this obligation on those 
who actually inflicted the injuries, and forget that they themselves also 
are loaded with the same burden, because of the influence they exercised 
in the unjust action. 

Those who participate in the unjust acts committed by others, 
whether in assisting them to commit the act or in sharing in the profit 
of the theft, are bound to restitution. 

It is not then on the highways and in the forests alone that injustice 
is committed. And yet the more widespread the injustice is, the rarer 
is the restitution. 

“They have counted our life a pastime, and the business of life to 
be gain, and that we must be getting every way, even out of evil.” 
(Wis. xv, 12) 

III. HOW THE OBLIGATION SHOULD BE FULFILLED 

Restitution should (1) be entire as to its object; (2) it should be 
made to the person injured; (3).it should be made promptly. 

1. The object must be restored such as it is, if it still exists 

This rule binds the possessor in good faith, as well as him who is 
in bad faith. If the object no longer exists, its just value must be re¬ 
stored, with this difference between the possessors in good and in bad 
faith, that if it ceased to exist while it was possessed in good faith, 
without the possessor having gained any profit from it, he is not 
bound to make restitution. 

The possessor in bad faith is bound, moreover, to make good all the 


282 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


lawful profits which the owner would have gained, and to make good 
the loss he has suffered by having been deprived of his property. 

“If I have wronged any man of anything, I restore him fourfold.” 
(Luke xix, 8) 

“If it were taken away by stealth, he shall make the loss good to 
the owner.” (Exod. xxii, 12) 

“If any man hurt a field or a vineyard, and put in his beast to feed 
upon that which is other men’s; he shall restore the best of whatsoever 
he hath in his own field, or in his vineyard, according to the estimation 
of the damage.” (Ibid., 5) 

“If that which he stole be found with him ... he shall restore 
double.” (Ibid., 4) 

“If he have not wherewith to make restitution for the theft, he 
shall be sold.” (Ibid., 3) 

2. To whom restitution must be made 

To the person from whom the property has been taken, or to whom 
the injury has been caused, or to his heirs. It is useless to seek to 
satisfy the obligation of restitution by which one is bound by alms and 
pious legacies. Justice must go before charity. 

Those deceive themselves then who, after having lived in comfort 
at the expense of others, believe themselves freed from their obligation 
because in their last will they have left some charitable bequests out 
of property which does not belong to them. 

“It is not lawful to put them into the corbona, because it is the price 
of blood.” (Matth. xxvii, 6) 

“An alms of this kind is pharisaical, nay even diabolical.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“Give alms out of thy substance.” (Tob. iv, 7) 

3. Restitution should be made promptly 

The longer it is deferred, the more difficult it becomes, because the 
longer a person unjustly retains the property of another, the stronger 
will grow his inclination not to part with it. 

To defer restitution is to put it off to an uncertain time, to a time 
when it will be no longer voluntary, to a time when probably it will 
not be made. 

“All are cut off that were wrapped up in silver.” (Soph, i, 11) 

At the hour of death: 

“The riches which he hath swallowed he shall vomit up, and God 
shall draw them out of his belly.” (Job xx, 15) 

“The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with 
thee until the morning.” (Levit. xix, 13) 


RESTITUTION 283 

Imprudence of leaving this obligation of restitution to be fulfilled 
by one’s heirs. 

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which 
shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments 
are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of 
them shall be a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. 
You have stored up to yourselves wrath against the last days. Behold 
the hire of laborers . . . which, by fraud has been kept back by you, 
crieth.” (Jas. v, 1-4) 

“What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer 
the loss of his own soul.” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

“Neither thieves, nor covetous, shall possess the kingdom of God.” 
(1 Cor. vi, 10) 

“Let no iniquity have dominion over me.” (Ps. cxviii, 133) 

“Thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall 
gather thee up.” (Is. lviii, 8) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Restitution is necessary: 

i°. It must be made; 

2°. it must be made quickly; 

3 0 . it must be well made. 

2. Restitution is rare: 

i°. Because people do not wish to make it; 

2°. because they think they are not bound to do so; 

3 0 . because, though they intend to make restitution, they always 
defer doing so. 

II 

1. Nothing is easier than to find oneself guilty before God of injus¬ 
tice, and nothing is more difficult than to repair it. 

i°. Two reasons are given by S. John Chrysostom for the facility 
with which injustice is committed: 

(a) The cupidity within us; 

(b) the frequent occasions outside us. 

2°. Difficulty of repairing the injustice committed. 

There is nothing more repugnant, more opposed to the natural in¬ 
clination of man, than to deprive himself of those things that satisfy 
his cupidity. This passion suggests a thousand excuses to which man 
pays heed. 



284 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


2. Nothing is falser than the pretended impossibility of making this 
reparation, and nothing truer than the impossibility of salvation with¬ 
out making it. 

i°. The impossibility of restitution is commonly false and pretended. 
One says: “If I make restitution I shall ruin my family.” Another, 
“I must maintain my position.” Again, “Nothing would remain for 
my own support.” Again, “I would be disgraced by making restitu¬ 
tion.” Again, “Where shall I find all those I have wronged?” 

2 0 . Absolute impossibility of salvation unless restitution is made. 
Restitution, as far as it can be made, is an indispensable necessity. 


XL VIII 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

ALMSGIVING 

“Son, defraud not the poor of alms, and turn not away thy eyes from 
the poor.” (Eccli. iv, i) 

God has not only forbidden us to take or to keep unjustly the prop¬ 
erty of others; but He has also commanded us to share our goods 
with others and to assist them in their necessities. “Let us not love 
in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (i John, iii, 18). 
I. It is our duty to give alms; II. It is our interest to give alms; 
III. How to give alms. 

I. IT IS OUR DUTY TO GIVE ALMS 

Almsgiving is often regarded as a work of supererogation. This 
error arises from the sinful attachment which people of the world 
have to earthly goods. There is question, then, of undeceiving on 
this point a great number of rich people, who look with indifference 
on the misery of the poor, without giving them any help, because they 
do not believe they are bound to give it. They are, however, obliged 
to give alms; and this obligation arises from the commandment of God 
and from the relations which the poor have with the rich. 

i. God has commanded us to give alms; 2. the poor, who are our 
brethren, have a claim on our bounty. 

i. God has commanded us to give alms 

“I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brethren.” 

(Deut. xv, ii) . . 

By this commandment God justifies His providence respecting the 
inequalities of condition that exist in this world. And certainly God 
had the right to impose this commandment on man, as He alone is 
Master of all that is in the universe. 

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.’ (Ps. xxm, i) 

He can therefore dispose of it as He wills: 

“Thou hast no need of my goods.” (Ps. xv, 2) 

The rich out of the goods they have received, should pay tribute to 

285 


286 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


the poor, who hold the place of God. To refuse this homage to God 
in the person of the poor, is to rebel against His authority and sovereign 
dominion. Why are some living in luxury and others in want? Is 
it because God wished of His own choice to make some happy and 
others miserable? No, this inequality does not arise from the merits 
or demerits of men. The poor, because of the innocence of their lives, 
are often more pleasing to God than the rich. It must be said, there¬ 
fore, that the Lord, out of the abundance of His riches, has prepared 
a source from which the needs of the poor may be supplied. Do not 
think, then, ye rich of this world, that you can dispose of the goods 
God has given you according to your own fancy and caprice. 

“To thee is the poor man left; thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.” 
(Ps. ix, 14; Hebrew) 

“Let your abundance supply their want; that there may be an equal¬ 
ity, as it is written: He that had much had nothing over; and he that 
had little had no want.” (2 Cor. viii, 14, 15) 

You cannot refuse alms to the poor without incurring the displeasure 
of God and becoming guilty of a grievous sin. To convince you of 
this I have only to cite the decree of condemnation which God will 
pronounce against the reprobate on the day of judgment: “Depart 
from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire. ... I was hungry and you 
gave Me not to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me not to drink.” 
(Matth. xxv, 41) 

But when was it, O Lord? 

“As long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do 
it to Me.” {Ibid., 45) 

The refusing of alms, then, will be for you a just cause of reproba¬ 
tion, even though you should have practised all other virtues. 

“He that stoppeth his ears against the cry of the poor, shall also cry 
himself and shall not be heard.” (Prov. xxi, 13) 

“Remember what happened to the rich man clothed in purple, who 
was damned, not for taking the property of others, but for refusing 
to help a poor beggar; and he who refused to give a small thing here, 
being buried in hell, was himself forced to ask for a very small thing.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Miserable man, what answer will you give to the Judge? You 
adorn your walls, you do not clothe a man; you decorate your horses 
in costly trappings, you despise your brother clothed in rags.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

2. This obligation is based also on the relations which the poor have 

with us 

They are our brethren in Jesus Christ. They are our fellow- 


ALMSGIVING 


287 


creatures. They are Christians as we, purchased at the same price as 
we. We should, therefore, look on them as on ourselves, and do to 
them all the good we should like others to do to us if we were in their 
place. But, alas! the poor are seen languishing in misery, and there 
is no one to take pity on them. 

Know, ye rich, that you sin not only against charity, but also in 
some measure against justice. That bread which you have in abun¬ 
dance, “is the bread of the hungry; the covering of the naked.” 
(S. Ambr.) You are, then, guilty of a kind of theft when you do 
not make use of your superfluous riches to help the needy. . . . “It 
is theft; it is robbery.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The superfluities of the rich are necessary to the poor; those who 
possess riches in superabundance possess the property of others.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“The superabundance of the rich is the property of the poor; and 
the crime of taking from him who possesses is not greater than that of 
refusing to give out of your abundance to him who is in want.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

Perhaps the poor, by their coarse manners and repulsive appear¬ 
ance, shock your sense of delicacy and excite your indignation! Rise 
above these promptings of nature, and with the eyes of faith see in the 
person of the poor Jesus Christ Himself, poor, suffering in His mem¬ 
bers, and asking help from you. Yes, these poor, with bodies trem¬ 
bling with cold and wasted away by hunger, with faces thin and pale, 
are members of Jesus Christ. He asks you to have pity on them. . . . 
Ah! if Christ Himself were still on earth and in His hunger asked food 
from you, would you not consider it an honor and a duty to offer 
Him all you had? Do, then, for the poor a little of what you would 
do for Him, since He considers as done to Himself what you do for 


His members. 

“The hand of the poor is the treasury of Christ, because what the 
poor receive Christ accepts.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If a brother or sister be naked and want daily food, and one of 
you say to him: Go in peace, be you warmed and filled; yet give him 
not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?” 


(Jas. ii, 15, 16) 

“He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother 
in need, and shall put up his bowels from him, how doth the charity 
of God abide in him?” (1 John iii, 17) 

“Give to all, lest he to whom you do not give be Christ Himself.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“There is nothing so much in accordance with nature, as to help 
him who shares in our nature.” (S. Ambr.) 


288 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


II. IT IS OUR INTEREST TO GIVE ALMS 

“Give and it shall be given to you; good measure . . . and run¬ 
ning over shall they give into your bosom.” (Luke vi, 38) 

God will give to the charitable (1) riches of fortune and of grace 
in this world; (2) riches of glory in the world to come. 

1. “He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” (Prov. 
xix, 17) 

“He that giveth to the poor shall not want; he that despiseth his 
entreaty shall suffer indigence.” (Prov. xxviii, 27) 

The profit which the charitable man gains by giving alms arises on 
the one hand from the goodness of God, and on the other from the 
prayers of the poor. Whatever is done for the poor is considered by 
Almighty God as done to Himself; and He rewards it by the blessings 
He pours down on charitable souls. Thus we see some families pros¬ 
per, some people succeed in business in which others fail. It is their 
own pious generosity and the prayers which the poor send up to 
Heaven, that merit for them the generosity of the Lord. The poor 
man prays for the father of a family, and that father sees prosperity 
in his house. The poor pray for the working man, who sees the dew 
from heaven falling on his fields. 

“The Lord has heard the poor.” (Ps. lxviii, 34) 

And if the poor did not pray, the alms themselves would pray for 
the giver: 

“Shut up alms in the heart of the poor, and it shall obtain help for 
thee against all evil.” (Eccli. xxix, 15) 

“The alms stand at the tribunal of Christ, not only giving protec¬ 
tion themselves, but also praying the Judge to give His protection, 
and to pronounce sentence for them.” (S. Chrys.) 

What graces do not alms bring down on those who give them! 
Graces of conversion . . . graces of perseverance. 

“Alms deliver from all sin and from death, and will not suffer the 
soul to go into darkness. Alms shall be a great confidence before 
the most high God to all them that give it.” (Tob. iv, 11) 

“Water quencheth a flaming fire and alms resisteth sin.” (Eccli. 
iib 33) 

“Give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you.” (Luke xi, 
4i) 

Yes, alms purify the sinner and make him holy; they draw down on 
him graces that cause him to pass from the slavery of sin to the 
blessed liberty of the children of God. 


ALMSGIVING 289 

The alms of the Centurion, Cornelius, caused God to send an angel 
to instruct him in the way of salvation. (Acts x, 2 ff.) 

“Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of 
mercy to the poor.” (Dan. iv, 24) 

“A merciful man doth good to his own soul.” (Prov. xi, 17) 

“God wishes that there should be poor in this world, so that the rich 
may atone for their sins.” (S. Aug.) 

Almsgiving is a certain means of obtaining perseverance in grace. 
Because alms procure the grace of conversion for sinners, and draw 
down on the just that of perseverance. 

“God provideth for him that showeth favor; He remembereth him 
afterwards, and in the time of his fall he shall find a sure stay.” 
(Eccli. iii, 34) 

The grace of a holy death is also the reward of alms. There is no 
day more to be feared than the day of death. But as this just man 
has freed the poor from their misery during his life, God in His turn 
will deliver him from all the horrors of death. He received the poor 
into the bosom of his charity, God will receive him into the bosom 
of His mercy. 

“Blessed is he that understands concerning the needy and the poor; 
the Lord will deliver him in his evil day. The Lord preserve 
him . . . and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.” (Ps. xl, 
2 ? 2) 

’ “The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow; Thou hast turned all his 
couch in his sickness.” {Ibid., 4) 

“I do not remember reading of the bad death of any one who will¬ 
ingly performed works of charity; for he has many intercessors, and 
it is impossible that the prayers of many should not be heard.” 

(S. Jerome) . 

2. Generous and charitable people need not, then, fear death; it will 
have no bitterness or terror for you. Your soul will quickly leave this 
mortal body, and at that moment the poor whom you have helped, 
Jesus Christ Himself, will come to meet you. 

“Come, . . . possess the kingdom prepared for you; ... I was hun¬ 
gry and you gave Me to eat ... I was a stranger and you took Me 

in.” (Matth. xxv, 34) , , , 1 r 

Ah! the value of alms will be known on that day; on that day of 
fear when hearts hardened towards the poor will have nothing to 
expect but a sentence of terror; on that day when the charitable will 
appear with confidence before their Judge, sustained by the alms they 

have given. .... 

“Make unto yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that 


2 $o THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 

when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.” 
(Luke xvi, 9) 

Like the faithful Israelites saved by Jonathan, the poor by their 
prayers will turn aside the sentence of death. 

“Shall Jonathan then die, who hath wrought this great salvation in 
Israel?” (1 Kings xiv, 45) 

'‘Give alms; make to yourselves bags which grow not old, a treasure 
in Heaven which faileth not; where no thief approacheth nor moth 
corrupteth.” (Luke xii, 33) 

The Lord will place on thrones of glory those who will have shown 
mercy. 

“Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure.” 
(Ps. xxxv, 9) 

“He who gives food to Christ in the person of the poor stores up 
his treasure in Heaven.” (S. Leo) 

III. HOW TO GIVE ALMS 

1. Give with kindness and a pure intention 

“Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness or 
of necessity: For God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. ix, 7) 

“Some abuse the poor when giving them alms. It would seem, 
therefore, that the only merit they can have for their almsgiving in 
such a case is to make satisfaction to the poor for the injury caused 
by the abuse.” (S. Greg.) 

Do not await the importunities of the poor. 

“That mercy which is extorted by prayers is not perfect enough.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“He who gives alms, not to help the needy, but to free himself from 
the importunity of the beggar, loses both the gift and the merit of 
giving.” (Ibid.) 

Give without ostentation. 

“When thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right 
hand doeth.” (Matth. vi, 3) 

2. Give generously 

That is to say, let your alms be in proportion to your means; if 
you have but little, give a little, but with a good heart. 

“According to thy ability be merciful. If thou have much, give 
abundantly; if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly 
a little.” (Tob. iv, 8, 9) 

Consult neither ambition nor avarice as to what you should give to 
the poor. 


ALMSGIVING 


291 


“The hard-hearted deprive the poor of what is necessary, in order to 
provide themselves with what is superfluous and luxurious. ,, (S. 
Basil) 


3. Give with discretion 

That is to say, consider not only your means, but also the various 
needs of the poor. Give first to those most in need, to relatives, etc. 

“Mercy is accustomed not to judge of the merits, but to relieve the 
necessities; to help the poor, not to examine the justice of their claims.” 
(S. Ambr.) 


4. Give alms at a suitable time 

Do not wait until the poor are in extreme want. Give alms during 
life, for it is to be feared that alms given only at death no longer have 
any merit before God. It is to be feared that the heirs may not carry 
out the wishes of the testator. 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matth. 
v, 7) 

The rich man was buried in hell because of his want of charity 
towards the poor. (Luke xvi, 22) 

“[While the avaricious man] shall vomit up the riches which he hath 
swallowed, and God shall draw them out of his belly (Job xx, 15)> 
[the charitable man] “shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess 
life everlasting.” (Matth. xix, 29) 


Divisions 

I 

Refutation of the reasons people bring forward to excuse themselves 

from gk>ing alms. . 

1. This commandment is for those who are rich; and when there is 
question of its application, there is no one found who wishes to be rich. 

2. The precept is for the relief of all the poor; and when there is 
question of applying it to them, just as there are not found any rich 
people whom it can bind, so there are no longer to be found any who 
deserve to be included among the really poor. 

t This precept binds at all times; and when there is question of 
complying with it, the times are so very bad that it becomes impracti- 


We are obliged to give alms: 



292 


THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 


1. by the natural law, as men; 

2. by the Gospel, as Christians; 

3. as sinners, because of the satisfaction we owe to God for our 
sins. 


Ill 

The love we owe: 

1. to God, 

2. to our neighbor, 

3. to ourselves, all bind us to give alms. 


XLIX 

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 

FALSE TESTIMONY 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exod. xx, 
16) 

The eighth commandment forbids all false testimony, calumny, rash 
judgment, and lies. Consider: I. The gravity of the sin of false 
testimony; II. The punishment of this sin. 

I. GRAVITY OF THE SIN OF FALSE TESTIMONY 

The false testimony which God principally forbids here is that which 
is given on oath in a court of justice. It is especially on such an occa¬ 
sion that the rule laid down in the Gospel should be exactly observed: 
“Let your speech be yea, yea: no, no” (Matth. v, 37), because 
false evidence is a very great sin. 

1. It Wounds Truth 

It is on the truth of the holy Gospel that the false witness swears to 
the falsehood. He tells a lie before God and man : 

“Thou hast not lied to men, but to God.” (Acts v, 4) 

“A false oath is a very grave sin.” (S. Aug.) 

2. It Wounds Charity 

Assuredly the false witness does to another what he would not wish 
to be done to himself: he causes great affliction to his neighbor. 

“A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor, is like a dart 
and a sword and a sharp arrow.” (Prov. xxv, 18) 

“Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits. 
Sitting thou didst speak against thy brother, and didst lay a scandal 
against thy mother’s son ... I will reprove thee, and set before thy 
face.” (Ps. xlix, 19-21) 

3. It Wounds Justice 

The false witness deceives the judges appointed to administer justice; 
he directs their judgment against public or private rights; he causes a 

293 


294 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


law-suit to be lost by him who should gain it; he shields the guilty and 
punishes the innocent; he would wish to deceive even God Himself. 

“He that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.” 
(Rom. xiii, 2) 

“An unjust witness scorneth judgment.” (Prov. xix, 28) 

4. It Wounds Religion 

The unjust witness calls upon God, upon His holy name, upon all 
that is most sacred, to bear witness to the truth of his false testimony. 

“Thou hast made me serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with 
thy iniquities.” (Is. xliii, 24) 

“God making promise to Abraham, because He had no one greater 
by whom He might swear, swore by Himself . . . For men swear by 
one greater than themselves; and an oath for confirmation is the end 
of all their controversy.” (Heb. vi, 13, 16) 

II. PUNISHMENT OF THIS SIN 

i. It is God Himself who has appointed proof by evidence as the 
rule of judgment among men. 

“In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.” 
(Deut. xix, 15) 

The public welfare demands that true answers should be given to 
questions put by a judge in his judicial capacity. The welfare of a 
private individual, who is unlawfully treated, requires it also. 

“Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sin¬ 
ner.” (Ps. lxxxi, 4) 

“Deliver them that are led to death.” (Prov. xxiv, 77) 

Witnesses, it is left to you to determine the sentence that decides 
questions concerning the goods, the fortune, even the lives of others. 
Behold the importance of your deposing to the exact truth. 

God expresses the greatest horror of false witnesses; He declares 
that they shall not escape unpunished. 

“Six things there are which the Lord hateth ... A deceitful wit¬ 
ness that uttereth lies.” (Prov. vi, 16, 19) 

Against such He pronounces terrible decrees of vengeance and death. 

“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies 
shall not escape.” (Prov. xix, 5) 

“A lying witness shall perish.” (Prov. xxi, 28) 

It is because the false witness is an assassin, a murderer. “He is 
like a dart and a sword and a sharp arrow.” (Prov. xxv, 18) 

Ruin, dishonor, disgrace, sorrow, affliction, even death itself, are the 
sad effects of false testimony. 


FALSE TESTIMONY 


295 


2. Human laws have always punished false witnesses very severely, 
often even condemned them to death. Formerly the laws of certain 
countries directed that false witnesses should be branded on the hand, 
and that murderous hand which was sacrilegiously raised to give false 
evidence that took away life, was sometimes cut off; that merciless wit¬ 
ness who had caused death, perished on an infamous gibbet: “The 
false witness shall perish.” 

History of the old men who falsely accused the chaste Susanna. 
(Dan. xiii) 

History of Naboth, who was condemned to death on the evidence of 
two false witnesses: 

“Bringing two men, sons of the devil.” (3 Kings, xxi, 13) 

If, then, you are some day called on to give evidence, tell the exact 
truth,—tell as true that which you believe to be true, as doubtful, that 
which appears to you doubtful. Never let either hatred or friendship 
or hope or a dishonorable gain cause you to give false testimony. 

There are shameless corrupters, suborners, who solicit, who pur¬ 
chase false evidence: be very careful not to yield to their solicitations. 

“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not to them.” (Prcv. i, 10) 

“All things obey money.” (Eccle. x, 19) 

3. Another kind of false evidence, which is no less criminal, is the 
forging of letters, deeds, etc. This is the crime of forgers. 

There is no pardon for this sin, unless reparation be made. The 
false witness must therefore restore the property, the honor, the reputa¬ 
tion he has destroyed. 

Fly from this crime, which is so injurious to others and which should 
inspire a great horror in us. 


L 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 

BACKBITING—DETRACTION 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exod. xx, 

16) 

God has given us the use of speech. How should we employ this 
gift? What use should we make of our tongue? Some employ it in 
swearing and blasphemy, others in uttering detraction and calumny 
against their neighbor. If so many reputations are injured, so much 
hatred is perpetuated in families, is it not owing to evil tongues that 
scatter the deadly poison of slander? To-day I speak to those who 
are guilty of this sin; on them I would wish, if I could do so, to impose 
an eternal silence, since they make such bad use of the talent which 
God has confided to them. I. There is nothing so common as back¬ 
biting; II. There is nothing so difficult to repair as the consequences 
of this sin. 

I. THERE IS NOTHING SO COMMON AS BACKBITING 

The gift of speech is one of those that are most abused. This is 
why St. James says: “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity . . . 
an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison.” (Jas. iii, 6, 8) 

It is by detraction especially that this poisoned fountain spreads its 
venom. 

Detraction is the unjust defamation of another’s character. It does 
all the more injury, (a) because it can be committed in so many ways; 
(b) because it can be committed so easily; (c) because of the great 
number of people who are addicted to it. 

i. It can be committed in many different ways 

A person may commit slander directly or indirectly. 

He commits it directly, who, 

i°. Imputes to another a crime of which the latter is not guilty: that 
is calumny. 

2°. Who exaggerates a fault committed by another; 

3°. Who makes known without necessity the real but secret faults 
of another; 

4°. Who puts a bad construction on the good deed of another. 

296 


DETRACTION 


297 


A person commits this sin indirectly, 

i°. When he denies the good another has done; 

2°. When he lessens it; 

3 0 . When, being bound to approve or confirm the praises bestowed 
on another, he nevertheless observes an injurious silence; 

4 . When he praises the act of another so coldly that he diminishes 
the credit due to it. 

Detraction is a most hateful sin. 

“The detractor is the abomination of men.” (Prov. xxiv, 9) 

“Detractors are hateful to God.” (Rom. i, 30) 

“The whisperer and the double-tongued is accursed: for he hath 
troubled many that were at peace.” (Eccli. xxviii, 15) 

Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his 
brother, detracteth the law.” (Jas. iv, 11) 

“If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth 
secretly.” (Eccle. x, 11) 

“The man that in private detracted his neighbor, him did I per¬ 
secute.” (Ps. c, 5) 

“When I was gone from them, they spoke against me.” (Job xix, 
18) 

“To shoot in the dark the upright of heart.” (Ps. x, 3) 

“Detraction is a great vice, detraction is a great sin, detraction is a 
great crime.” (S. Bern.) 

“The detractor kills his own soul when he wounds the good name of 
another.” (S. Aug.) 

How many innocent people there are whom calumny has charged 
with atrocious crimes! Calumny, as a rule, has no other foundation 
than a groundless suspicion of a rash judgment. 

That man, evilly-disposed towards another, thinks badly of his con¬ 
duct, puts a bad construction on actions indifferent in themselves, or 
even praiseworthy. Some one is seen entering a house, and he is 
credited with a bad intention in doing so. An article is lost, and the 
owner suspects some one of stealing. These groundless suspicions 
are made known to others, calumny is committed, and the reputation 
of an innocent person is destroyed. 

“Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits. 
Sitting thou didst speak against thy brother.” (Ps. xlix, 19, 20) 

How many there are who do not feel the least scruple in making the 
vices and faults of others much greater than they are! 

On the pretext that they say nothing but what is true, they seem to 


298 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


think that they are allowed to reveal all. Where, then, is “charity, 
which covereth a multitude of sins”? (1 Pet. iv, 8) 

As long as the fault of another is hidden, he has a right to his reputa¬ 
tion, and it is an injustice to rob him of it. 

The public good does not always require you to reveal the sins of 
others. 

You make known the faults of another under a promise of secrecy! 
Useless precaution. 

“He that speaketh unjust things cannot be hid, neither shall the 
chastising judgment pass him by.” (Wis. i, 8) 

You may, and sometimes are, obliged to make known to a father the 
faults of his son, to a superior those of a subject,—when there is 
question of applying a remedy to these faults. 


Indirect slander. 

Some people have a horror of calumny, perhaps even of making 
known any fault committed by another; but they do not fear to speak 
of the good deeds of others with such malice as to destroy all their 
merit in the eyes of men. If one praises a virtuous act, another will 
strive to snatch the credit of that act from him to whom it is due, either 
by denying that he has done it, or by attributing to him a bad intention 
in doing it, or by adding to it some vicious circumstance that lessens 
its merit. A charitable man gives alms, and it is said that he does so 
through vanity and ostentation. Another renders an important service 
to some one, and he is said to do it through motives of self-interest. 
A young girl leads a good Christian life, and she is called a hypocrite. 

“They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways. . . . 
Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they acted de¬ 
ceitfully; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full 
of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood.” (Ps. 
xiii, 2, 3) 

“They have whetted their tongues like a sword; they have bent their 
bow a bitter thing, to shoot in secret the undefiled.” (Ps. lxiii, 4, 5) 

“Come, and let us strike him with the tongue.” (Jer. xviii, 18) 

Others begin by praising those whom they wish to blame: That man 
is charitable, but he visits a person whom he should not visit. . . . That 
man prays much, but he keeps unjustly what belongs to another. . . . 
This woman is devout in church, she manages her household well, but 
she has a lying, dangerous tongue. . . . What a pity about that young 
man! he has excellent qualities, but . . . That priest (for the slanderer 


DETRACTION 


299 


spares no one) is zealous, exact in the discharge of his duties, but . . . 
This is how the slanderer, according to the words of the prophet, steeps 
his arrows in oil, in order that they may penetrate farther,—make deeper 
wounds. 

“His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts.” (Ps. 
liv, 22) 

“All day long thy tongue hath devised injustice; as a sharp razor 
thou hast wrought deceit.” (Ps. li, 4) 

Sometimes people dare not vilify openly, but they find a way to do so 
by certain signs, a look, a shake of the head, by an affected silence 
when the praises of another are spoken, or by assuming an expression 
of sadness and resignation when listening to these praises. 

“It is a common practice with the proud who seek applause, to vilify 
their neighbors, because they imagine that the disgrace of another will 
redound to their own praise. Moreover, when the proud cannot take 
pleasure in their own merits, they seem to find satisfaction in making 
others worse than themselves, and then comparing themselves with 
these.” (S. Jerome) 

“Detraction is born of envy.” (S. Greg.) 

“The detractor is full of envy, and no way of life pleases him but 
that of detraction; in other words, the work of detraction is his chief 
occupation.” (S. Ephrem) 

“Some [detractors] endeavor, under the cloak of pretended modesty 
and by double-meaning words, to pour forth the malice which is in 
their hearts and which they cannot keep there without bursting.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“What else does the detractor intend, than that the person whom he 
slanders should incur the odium of others?” (S. Bern.) 

2. Facility of slandering 

A thief does not always succeed in his attempts to steal. But every¬ 
thing helps the slanderer to make the commission of his crime easy: 
easy on the part of him who utters the slander, easy on the occasions 
that are found for speaking it, easy on the part of those who hear it. 

Slander is easy on the part of him who utters it. Tongue and 
speech are always at our disposal. With some it is want of thought 
or a longing for gossip; with others it is a malicious jealousy. 

Occasions on the part of those who give matter for slander. For 
what man is so perfect as never to show any signs of weakness? Oc¬ 
casions in the intercourse which people have with those around them, 
in the conversations which take place for the most part regarding the 


300 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


faults of others. People listen to slander, they are full of curiosity 
to know what such a one has said, has done; they inquire about his 
conduct; they are very desirous of knowing all about his movements, 
his life. In this way slander becomes easy on the part of those who 
listen to it. 

“The tongue no man can tame, an unquiet evil, full of deadly 
poison/’ (Jas. iii, 8) 

“If you listen to a detractor with a joyful countenance, you urge 
him on to slander; he kindles the fire, you spread it abroad. If you 
listen to him with a sad and averted face, he will learn not to speak 
willingly what he sees is not heard with pleasure.” (S. Jerome) 

“The evil is widespread and frequent, because all listen to it with 
pleasure.” (S. Paulin.) 

3. Detraction does all the more injury because of the great 
number of people who are addicted to it 

Is it surprising that slander should be so widespread, when, instead 
of discouraging it, the greater number listen to it with pleasure and 
spread it? Almost all classes of society are infected with this vice. 
Go into houses and listen to the conversation that is being carried on: 
you will hardly see two or three together who are not making some 
one the subject of their uncharitable remarks. You hear them discuss 
in detail persons in every state of life, now speaking uncharitably of 
one, now censuring another. Here it is a business man that runs down 
another whom he sees more respected than himself ; there it is an artisan, 
who in order to praise his own work, disparages the work of men of his 
own profession. Ah! how rare it is to find people who are quite free 
from this vice! 

“If any man offend not with the tongue, the same is a perfect man.” 
(Jas. iii, 2) 

“Many have fallen by the edge of the sword, but not so many as have 
perished by their own tongue.” (Eccli. xxviii, 22) 

“The minds of men have been seized by so great a passion for this 
vice, that even those who have most carefully avoided other vices, fall 
into this as into the last snare of the devil.” (S. Paulin.) 

“Make this a rule for yourself: to suspect every one who fears to 
say openly what he has told as a secret.” (S. Bern.) 

II. THERE IS NOTHING MORE DIFFICULT TO REPAIR THAN 
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS SIN 

It is difficult 

(1) Because of the good name that must be restored; (2) on the 
part of him who must restore it. 


DETRACTION 


301 


1. Because of the good name that must be restored 

Reputation is so precious a thing that men will willingly sacrifice all 
they have to preserve it. 

“A good name is better than great riches.” (Prov. xxii, 1) 

“Take care of a good name; for this shall continue with thee, more 
than a thousand treasures precious and great.” (Eccli. xli, 15) 

But it is very difficult to repair a wrong done to the reputation of 
any one. For he who spoke the injurious words said what is either 
true or false: if what he said is true, he cannot retract, and therefore 
all the praise he can give his neighbor will never restore that neighbor’s 
good name. If what he said is not true, he will never be able to destroy 
the calumny, no matter what retraction he may make. It will be said 
that he withdrew his words through some interested motive. Such and 
such a man passed as a good man; he was esteemed as just and upright; 
but an enemy, jealous of his good name and prosperity, poured over his 
Conduct the poison of censure. The result is that he lost the respect and 
esteem of others; and no matter what the slanderer may do to repair 
the injury he has done, he will never succeed. That young girl has 
never given cause for evil rumors, but a lying tongue spread bad re¬ 
ports about her, and she lost her good name. All she may do now 
will not prevent her being suspected of the sins laid to her charge, 
sins of which she has never thought; and notwithstanding all the liar 
may say to clear that girl’s character, the false statements have been, and 
will be, believed. 

“Behold how small a fire, what a great wood it kindleth.” (Jas. iii, 5) 

“A man full of tongue is terrible in his city.” (Eccli. ix, 25) 

Sad effects of slander: 

Divisions in families, hatred, quarrelling, loss of property. How can 
all that be repaired? That husband and wife were attached to each 
other; those relatives, those neighbors, lived in friendly intercourse; but 
an enemy spread bad reports about them. The husband and wife could 
no longer bear each other; the relatives, the neighbors became irrecon¬ 
cilable enemies. Who is the cause of these evils ? It is you, slanderers, 
who have the tongues of vipers. You will strive in vain to re-unite 
those divided hearts; you will never succeed in doing so. 

You have spoken badly of that man, and have caused him to lose 
his employment—of that merchant whose business you have injured— 
of that artisan whom you have deprived of work. You have blackened 
the name of that young man, of that young woman, who were about 
to be united in the holy bonds of marriage, and have caused them to 
separate. How will you repair all the harm you have done ? 


302 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


“From detraction spring hatred, quarrels, dissensions, and evil sus¬ 
picions.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The wounds caused by the tongue are greater than those inflicted 
by the sword; for the sword takes away the life of the body only, but 
does not kill the soul.” (S. Aug.) 

“Detraction is a grave evil and a restless demon.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The man who kills his brother and he who detracts are equally guilty 
of homicide.” 

2. Reparation is very difficult on the part of him zvho 
is bound to make it 

When a man steals, he can make restitution without letting his theft 
become known. But the case is different with him who has to restore 
the reputation of another whom he has slandered. His obligation is 
personal. If what he stated was false, he must show himself in his 
true character,—a liar, a slanderer; if he spoke the truth, he must show 
that he was an envious tale-bearer. He must restore the honor of the 
other at the loss of his own. But is that easy? The proof that instead 
of being easy it is very difficult is, that it is not done. Many people 
are guilty of slander, few make reparation for the injuries they have 
caused by their slander. 

“The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words, will never be 
corrected all the days of his life.” (Eccli. xxiii, 20) 

“I saw the oppressions that are done under the sun, and the tears of 
the innocent, and they had no comforter.” (Eccli. iv, 1) 

“Because he oppressed and offered violence to his brother, . . . be¬ 
hold he is dead in his own iniquity.” (Ezech. xviii, 18) 

“[Nevertheless] the sin is not forgiven unless restitution is made.” 
(S. Aug.) 

And even though the slanderer should force himself to repair the in¬ 
jury he has done to the reputation of his neighbor, will he succeed in 
doing so? Will he be able to extinguish the conflagration he has kin¬ 
dled ? When his slander has come to the knowledge of a great number 
of people, how will he be able to restore the reputation of another in 
all those places where it has been injured? Yet, although in these cir¬ 
cumstances the reparation becomes difficult, if not impossible, the slan¬ 
derer is no less obliged to do all in his power to repair the injury he 
has inflicted. But will he do all he should do? Would you do it? 
Have you already done it, you who are guilty of this crime ? 

Be careful, then, says the Holy Spirit, not to sin with the tongue, lest 
your fall, becoming incurable, may cause death. 

“Take heed lest thou slip with thy tongue . . . and thy fall be in¬ 
curable unto death.” (Eccli. xxviii, 30) 


DETRACTION 


303 


“There are very few who renounce this vice, and you will rarely find 
those whose lives are so blameless that they do not censure others 
freely.” (S. Paulin.) 

“Keep yourselves therefore from murmuring, which profiteth nothing, 
and refrain your tongue from detraction, for an obscure speech shall 
not go for nought.” (Wis. i, 11) 

“Thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbor.” (Levit. xix, 13) 

“Have nothing to do with detractors, for their destruction shall rise 
suddenly: and who knoweth the ruin of both?” (Prov. xxiv, 21, 22) 
“It is not easy to say who is to be condemned more,—he who detracts, 
or he who listens to a detractor.” (S. Aug.) 

“The north wind driveth away rain, as doth a sad countenance a 
backbiting tongue.” (Prov. xxv, 23) 

“Hedge in thy ears with thorns, hear not a wicked tongue, and make 
doors and bars to thy mouth.” (Eccli. xxviii, 28) 

“They who do such things are worthy of death: and not only they 
that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.” (Rom. 
h 3 2 ) 

“To listen to a detractor and not to condemn his foul words seems 
like certifying to their truth.” (S. Ephrem) 

“Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far 
from thee.” (Prov. iv, 24) 

“Hast thou heard a word against thy neighbor? Let it die within 
thee; trusting that it will not burst thee.” (Eccli. xix, 10) 

“Say to the detractor: Is there any one whom you praise? My 
ears are open to receive the sweet sounds; but if you will speak evil 
things, they are closed ; for I cannot endure filth and dirt. (S. Chrys.) 

“He that will love life, ... let him refrain his tongue from evil, and 
his lips that they speak no guile.” (1 Pet. iii, 10) 

“In the multitude of words there shall not want sin.” (Prov. x, 19) 
“One often repents having spoken much, one never repents having 

kept silence.” (Simonides) . 

“I said: I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my 

tongue.” (Ps. xxxviii, 1) 


Divisions 

I 

1. What backbiting is. 2 . How it is committed. 3. How sinful it is. 

1. Backbiting or detraction is unjustly depriving another of his good 
name in his absence. 

2. It is committed in various ways. 



304 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


Directly: 

i°. by falsely attributing crime to another; 

2°. by exaggerating the crime or fault of another; 

3°. by making known the secret faults of another; 

4°. by putting a bad construction on the words or deeds of another, 
which are in themselves good or indifferent. 

Indirectly: 

i°. by contradicting one who speaks well of his neighbor; 

2°. by trying to lessen the good done by another; 

3°. by not praising, or speaking well of one’s neighbor, when one’s 
silence would be a tacit censure or approbation of a calumny; 

4°. by speaking so coldly in praise of the good done by another that 
the praise bestowed is taken rather for condemnation. 

3. How criminal it is. 

Slander is criminal because it springs from the vilest and most crim¬ 
inal passions,—envy, hatred, and revenge. 

4. Advice, 

i°. to those who are guilty of slander; 

2 0 . to those who listen to it; 

3 0 . to those who are slandered. 

II 

Evils caused by slander: 

1. It violates charity. 

2. It causes discord between the slanderer and him who is slandered. 

3. It blackens the good name of individuals and families so much that 
they can never clear themselves. 

4. The slanderer often places himself in a position in which it is 
morally impossible for him to save his soul on account of the difficulty 
of repairing the wrong he has inflicted. 

5. The slanderer often causes the damnation of the souls of those he 
slanders, who are filled with hatred and revenge against him. 

III 

Slander destroys three classes of people: 

1. those who are guilty of it; 

2. those who listen to it; 

3. those who are slandered. 

IV 

1. There is nothing meaner or more hateful than the sin of slander. 

2. There is nothing more dangerous to salvation. 


LI 

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


LYING 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exod. xx, 
16) 

Lying is one of the most common vices in this world. “Every man 
is a liar.” (Ps. cxv, n) 

The more wide-spread this vice is, the more we should fight against 
it. Consider: I. The gravity of the sin and its effects; II. The friv¬ 
olous excuses that are given to justify it. 

I. THE GRAVITY OF THE SIN AND ITS EFFECTS 

From the object which one has in lying we can distinguish three 
kinds of lies: the officious lie, the jocose lie, and the malicious lie. 

People regard lies as a mere trifle, especially such as are told for 
amusement and diversion; and they feel still less scruple in telling lies 
in their own interest,—to oblige some one, to avert some misfortune, 
etc. Ah! they would soon change their minds if they reflected, (i) 
that a lie offends God, (2) that it is injurious to society, (3) that it 
injures the liar himself. 

1. A lie offends God. 

If any one doubted this, I could cite many passages from Holy 
Scripture in which God is not content with forbidding this vice, but 
moreover shows that He detests and abhors it, and will punish liars 
with rigor. He forbids lies of all kinds, even those told to render a 
service to another. 

“Be not willing to make any manner of lie.” (Eccli. vii, 14) 

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. xii, 22). 

“Six things there are which the Lord hateth ... a lying tongue 
. . . a deceitful witness that uttereth lies.” (Prov. vi, 16) 

“Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie.” (Ps. v, 7) 

“He that speaketh lies shall not escape [punishment].” (Prov. xix, 

5 ^“He that speaketh lies shall perish.” (Prov. xix, 9) 

Do you wish to know why God has so great a hatred of this sin? 

305 


306 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 
% 

It is because He is truth and truth itself. Therefore He rejects liars, 
and does not look on them as His children, but regards them rather as 
children of the devil. 

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father 
you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not 
in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie he 
speaketh of his own; for he is a liar and the father thereof.” (John 
viii, 44) 

“Lying is the offspring of the devil. ,, (S. Basil) 

“All liars shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and 
brimstone.” (Apoc. xxi, 8) 

“Liars are the more reprehensible before God for their falsehood, the 
more they themselves see what is true.” (S. Greg.) 

2. Lying injures society 

What would become of society without good faith? How could we 
live with those whom we could not trust? 

“A thief is better than a man that is always lying: but both of them 
shall inherit destruction.” (Eccli. xx, 27) 

We, being members of the same body, should not deceive one another. 

“Putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbor: 
for we are members one of another.” (Eph. iv, 25) 

“Does the eye deceive the foot, or the foot the eye?” (S. Chrys.) 

“You shall not lie, neither shall any man deceive his neighbor.” 
(Levit. xix, 11) 

“Let deceitful lips be made dumb.” (Ps. xxx, 19) 

3. The liar injures himself 

i°. In his reputation. A liar is generally despised. 

“The manners of lying men are without honor: and their confusion 
is with them without ceasing.” (Eccli. xx, 28) 

“A lie is a foul blot in a man.” (Ibid. 26) 

2 0 . In his business. No one cares to deal with him, fearing to be 
deceived. 

“They tell lies, and therefore they are not believed when they speak 
the truth.” (S. Jerome) 

Moreover, by his lies he draws down the displeasure of God on his 
undertakings. 

“He that setteth a stone for his neighbor, shall stumble upon it: and 
he that layeth a snare for another, shall perish in it.” (Eccli. xxvii, 
29) 

3 0 . God sometimes inflicts bodily punishment on him. Ananias and 
Saphira are examples of this. (Acts v) 


LYING 


307 


4°. But it is especially on his soul that the liar inflicts injury. 

If he tells a lie in a grave matter, for example, in confession, in tak¬ 
ing an oath, and in other circumstances in which it is important to tell 
the truth, or when a lie is gravely injurious; he commits a mortal sin. 

“The mouth that belieth, killeth the soul.” (Wis. i, 11) 

“With his mouth one speaketh peace with his friend, and secretly 
he lieth in wait for him. Shall I not visit them for these things, saith 
the Lord? or shall not my soul be revenged on such a nation?” (Jer. 
ix, 8, 9) 

And even though the lie should be concerning a light matter, can you 
regard this evil as of no consequence? Do you count it as nothing to 
offend God?—to lose some of His friendship?—to deprive yourself of 
many graces?—to deserve Purgatory? 

The same must be said of equivocations and mental restrictions; they 
are forms of lies which should be avoided. 

“Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle? He that speaketh the 
truth. . . . He that sweareth to his neighbor and deceiveth not.” (Ps. 
xiv, 1, 3, 4) 

“Keep thy lips from speaking guile.” (Ps. xxxiii, 14) 

“The double-dealer uttereth lies.” (Prov. xiv, 25) 

“A deceitful witness uttereth a lie. . . . The crafty man is hateful.” 

(Ibid., 5, 17) 

“Every lie is an injustice, because whatever is opposed to truth is 
certainly opposed to justice.” (S. Greg.) 

“A lie consists not only in false words, but also in simulated works; 
it is a lie, for instance, to call oneself a Christian, and not to lead 
the life of a Christian. (S. Aug.) 

II. FRIVOLOUS EXCUSES GIVEN TO JUSTIFY LYING 

Is it not astonishing to find people trying to excuse their falsehoods ? 

1. “We are forced to lie,” merchants, workmen, etc., say; “without 
doing so we could not make a living.” 

“What else is the life of all traders but fraud and perjury?” . (Salv.) 

“What else is the life of litigants but a concoction of deceit and a 
mixture of lies ?” (Id.) 

But they make use of wrong means to gain their object. Sooner or 
later a liar loses credit, forfeits the confidence of others; God will not 
bless his undertakings; and yet, 

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” 
(Ps. cxxvi, 1) 

Even supposing that their falsehoods are profitable to their temporal 
interests, what will it benefit them to gain the whole world if they lose 


3°8 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


their souls? There is, then, only one necessity, namely, the necessity 
of not committing sin. 

“There is no necessity of sinning incumbent on those on whom only 
one necessity presses, that of not sinning.” (Tert.) 

2. Others say they tell lies in order to maintain peace in the family, 
in order not to cause pain to some one, to do some one a service. But 
these excuses cannot justify a lie. That which is bad in itself cannot 
be permitted under any circumstances. 

“Let us not do evil that there may come good.” (Rom. iii, 8) 

If these means were permitted, the permission would come from God. 
But this could not be; as God is truth itself, and every lie is directly 
opposed to him: 

“No lie is of the truth.” (i John ii, 21) 

“You [scoffers] have said: We have placed our hope in lies, and 
by falsehood we are protected.” (Is. xxviii, 15) 

“We are not to consider a lie as nothing, because we can benefit 
some one by lying.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Some, especially young people, have recourse to a lie through fear 
of punishment. 

Ah! the severest punishment inflicted by man is nothing in com¬ 
parison with the chastisement inflicted by God. 

Parents should fill the minds of their children from an early hour 
with a great horror of this sin. 

Instead, they sometimes act most unreasonably. They punish their 
children severely for a thoughtless, involuntary act, and they do not 
inflict any punishment on them when these children offend God. 

4. Others excuse themselves by saying that a lie is only a venial sin. 

In many cases it is true that a lie is only a venial sin, but it is 

always a sin, a wound inflicted on the soul, which may have very bad 
results. It causes a habit to be formed, and then 

“He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.” 
(Eccli. xix, 1) 

“They are not great faults, but yet they are not without fault.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Do not despise these small things: if you despise their weight, 
tremble at their number.” (Id.) 

Moreover, that sin which you consider venial, may be mortal, or it 
may lead you on to mortal sin. 

5. Finally, others say: “The lie I tell does no harm to any one.” 

A lie does an injury to God. It injures yourself very much. Is 

that nothing? 


LYING 309 

“If you tell a lie through humility and were not a sinner before you 
told the lie, you become one in telling it.” (S. Aug.) 

If you have contracted the habit of telling lies, lose no time, root it 
up without delay. 

“The just man shall hate a lying word.” (Prov. xiii, 5) 

Have a horror of all lying and deceit. 

“As long as breath remaineth in me, and the Spirit of God in my 
nostrils, my lips shall not speak iniquity, neither shall my tongue con¬ 
trive lying.” (Job xxvii, 3, 4) 

“O ye sons of men, why do you love vanity and seek after lying?” 
(Ps. iv, 3) 

“Take not Thou the word of truth utterly out of my mouth.” (Ps. 
cxviii, 43) 

“In all thy works let the true word go before thee.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 
20). 

“Thou shalt fly lying.” (Exod. xxiii, 7) 

“Let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and 
above these, is evil.” (Matth. v, 37) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Lies cause us to lose the friendship of God. 

2. They cause us to lose the confidence of men. 

3. They destroy our peace and tranquillity of mind by the fear that 
our bad faith may be discovered. 

II 

1. Lying and deceit are unworthy of an honest man, whose character 
should be one of sincerity, trustworthiness, and good faith. 

2 These vices are unworthy of a Christian, since they are clearly op- 
posed to simplicity, sincerity, and good faith, so strongly recommended 
in the Gospel. 

III 

1. There is nothing more opposed to the spirit of religion than lying 

and deceit. ... ,, 

2. There is nothing more hurtful to society, since they are the cause 

of the troubles and divisions that reign there. 

3. There is nothing which shows a more corrupt mind and heart than 
the habit of lying, of employing artifice and deceit in the business in 
which one is engaged. 



LII 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 

RASH JUDGMENTS 

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” (Luke vi, 37) 

It is not enough to abstain from lies and calumny, we must also fear 
and avoid unjust suspicions and rash judgments. Consider: I. How 
much rash judgment is opposed to the law of God and to Christian 
charity; II. How baneful it is in its effects. 

I. HOW MUCH RASH JUDGMENT IS OPPOSED TO THE LAW 
OF GOD AND TO CHRISTIAN CHARITY 

To judge rashly is to judge that some one is guilty of evil and to 
condemn him without a reasonable cause. We must distinguish be¬ 
tween rash judgment and unjust suspicion. Unjust suspicion consists 
in forming too lightly a bad opinion of another, without, however, pos¬ 
itively condemning him. (1) Rash judgment does an injury to God 
who expressly forbids it, and who has reserved to Himself the right 
to judge mankind. (2) It inflicts real injustice on our neighbor, since 
it condemns him without any right to do so, and even against justice. 

1. It does an injury to God, who has expressly forbidden us to 
judge one another, unless we are invested with lawful authority. 

“Thou shalt not do that which is unjust, nor judge unjustly. I 
am the Lord.” (Levit. xix, 15, 16) 

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.” 
(John vii, 24) 

“Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with what judgment 
you judge, you shall be judged.” (Matth. vii, 1, 2) 

“Judge not before the time; until the Lord come, who both will bring 
to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the 
counsels of the hearts.” (1 Cor. iv, 5) 

“He that judgeth his brother, . . . judgeth the law. . . . But who 
art thou that judgest thy neighbor? There is one Law-giver and Judge 
that is able to destroy and to deliver.” (Jas. iv, 11, 13) 

The abominations of Sodom and Gomorrha became so scandalous 
that they mounted up to the throne of God and provoked His vengeance. 

310 


RASH JUDGMENTS 311 

What did God do? Did he instantly judge these perverse people? No, 
He seemed to wish to make a closer examination of the case: 

“I will go down and see whether they have done according to the 
cry that is come up to Me: or whether it be not so that I may know.” 
(Gen. xviii, 21) 

But is God not in every place, and does He not know all things? 
Why, then, does He say that He wili “go down and see” if the thing 
is true? 

“To give us an example, not to assume that men are guilty before 
we have proof of the guilt.” (S. Aug.) 

Rash judgment is a usurpation of the sovereign authority of God. 
God alone has essentially the right to judge man: 

“The works of his hands are truth and judgment.” (Ps. cx, 7) 

“The judgments of the Lord are true.” (Ps. xviii, 10) 

“Thou being Master, judgest with tranquillity.” (Wis. xii, 18) 

“He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with His 
truth.” (Ps. xcv, 13) 

“O Lord, . . . justice and judgment are the preparation of Thy 
throne.” (Ps. lxxxviii, 15) 

“To judge is a shameless theft of the divine dignity, but to condemn 
is the destruction of one’s own soul.” (S. Bern.) 

“If each one judges his neighbor, what shall we reserve for God?” 
(S. Jerome) 

Jesus Christ says of Himself, as man: 

“I judge not any man.” (John viii, 15) 

But God, His Father, has made Him Judge of the living and the 
dead. 

“It is He who was appointed by God to be Judge of the living and 
of the dead.” (Acts x, 42) 

“He hath given all judgment to the Son.” (John v, 22) 

“All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matth. xxviii, 
18) 

“He hath given Him power to do judgment, because He is the Son 
of Men.” (John v, 27) 

“And shall I assume to myself that which not even the Father has 
assumed?” (S. Bern.) 

Rash judgment then usurps the jurisdiction of Jesus Christ. 

Why judge of that which does not concern you? 

“Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own lord 
he standeth or falleth.” (Rom. xiv, 4) 

Must you answer to God for that person? If so, watch over him 
without breaking the laws of charity. If there is some foundation for 
the suspicion, and if you have an interest in knowing the truth, there 


312 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


is no sin in suspecting evil in this way, provided you suspend your 
judgment until the matter is cleared up. 

But how often does it not happen that you judge rashly those who 
are not in any way subject to you, and who, perhaps are your supe¬ 
riors? In this last case, rash judgment is specially deserving of blame. 

“He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of My eye.” (Zach. ii, 8) 

“Touch ye not My anointed; 2nd do no evil to My prophets.” (Ps. 
civ, 15) 

2. It inflicts real injustice on our neighbor, since it condemns him 
without having any right to do so, and even against all equity. 

Rash judgment is directly opposed to charity, which forbids us to 
think evil of our neighbor without just reasons: “Charity thinketh no 
evil.” (1 Cor. xiii, 5) 

It is contrary to justice also. 

Our neighbor has a right to our good opinion as long as he does 
nothing that is evidently bad. 

We never have the right to do to another that which we should not 
wish another to do to us: “Do not do to another what you would 
not wish to be done to you.” Would you wish to be condemned with¬ 
out cause? And what right have you to judge another? 

“Let us, therefore, not judge one another any more. But thou, why 
judgest thou thy brother? or thou, why dost thou despise thy brother? 
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Rom. xiv, 

13,10) 

“So judge others that you yourself may desire to be judged by them.” 
(S. Isidore) 

The injustice becomes greater when the judgment, as often happens, 
is formed on evil reports, on mere surmises. We judge of the inten¬ 
tion on mere appearances. We are influenced in our judgment by prej¬ 
udice* envy, hatred, self-interest. If a man is on bad terms with an¬ 
other, he puts a bad construction on everything which that other says 
or does. Is a man urged on by envy of another, or by self-interest? 
He easily believes all that is said against that other; he suspects him, 
accuses him. 

What can be more unjust than such judgments, which are formed 
without authority, without sufficient knowledge, without honor. 

“All things are full of rash judgments. He of whom we despaired is 
suddenly converted, and becomes very good; he from whom we hoped 
many things suddenly falls away and becomes very wicked.” (S. Aug.) 

“Man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the 
heart.” (1 Kings xvi, 7) 


RASH JUDGMENTS 3*3 

We criticise the real or imaginary faults of others, but are blind to 
pur own. 

“Wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou 
dost the same things which thou judgest.” (Rom. ii, i) 

“Neglecting their own actions, they with an impudent freedom, be¬ 
come the censors of others.” (S. Prosp.) 

Each one judges others by himself: 

“The fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, 
esteemeth all men fools.” (Eccle. x, 3) 

“Be upright yourself and you will find others upright.” (S. Aug.) 

“An evil-minded man judges that another is what he feels himself 
to be.” (Id.) 

“They condemn small errors in others although they themselves have 
committed greater.” (S. Ambr.) 


II. BANEFUL EFFECTS OF RASH JUDGMENT 

1. From rash judgments arise contempt of others, pride, self-love. 

“They trusted in themselves as just, and despised others.” (Luke 

xviii, 9) 

“O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, ex¬ 
tortioners, unjust, adulterers.” (Ibid., 11) 

From this poisoned fountain there arises an infinite number of other 
disorders: dissensions in families, discord in society, and especially 
among those who are subject to these rash judgments; jealousy between 
husband and wife, false reports, calumny, hatred, revenge, strife, etc. 

“A hidden but very grave plague, which drives God away and de¬ 
stroys fraternal charity.” (S. Bonav.) 

2. The most deadly effect of rash judgment is that it exposes the 
sinner to be condemned without mercy at the tribunal of God. In 
rashly condemning your brother you have furnished to the Lord the 
matter of your own condemnation. 

“With what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what 
measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matth. vii, 2) 

With what tranquillity we should appear before the judgment-seat of 
Jesus Christ, if, at the hour of death, we could say (with a holy 
hermit) that we never judged or condemned any one without reason. 

“If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Cor. 
xi, 31) 

“Let us tear from our heart the root of rash judgment, which is 
usually pride or envy. Yes, rash judgment is an act of pride, like that 
of Lucifer: 


314 


THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT 


“I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the 
Most High.” (Is. xiv, 14) 

This is how we act when we constitute ourselves judges of our neigh¬ 
bors. 

Let us be careful to judge ourselves; let us occupy ourselves with 
our own amendment; let us not fix our eyes and our thoughts on the 
conduct of others, unless charity or the duty of our state obliges us 
to watch over them. In this case, let us be cautious in condemning 
them; let us suspend our judgment until we have accurate information. 

“Why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye; and seest not 
the beam that is in thy own eye?” (Matth. vii, 3) 

Let us put a good construction on the acts of others, as far as it is 
possible to do so. 

“Let us judge charitably in doubtful matters. Regarding things that 
can be done from either a good or a bad motive, we should not form 
any judgment, lest we should dare to pass sentence on the heart of an¬ 
other, which we do not see.” (S. Aug.) 

Let us not believe too easily what we hear; we are often deceived. 
Who would not have believed that Joseph and Susanna were guilty? 
Nevertheless they were innocent. 

“We should never be hasty in passing judgment, lest we judge things 
rashly without having considered them, lest everything we hear should 
excite us, lest we believe without proof reports spread at random.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“Excuse the intention if you cannot excuse the deed, and attribute 
it to ignorance, haste, chance.” (S. Bern.) 

“Charity thinketh no evil, that is, it excuses those who err, con¬ 
sidering that they did not act with a bad intention.” (Theodoret) 


Divisions 

I 

Our judgments that are to the disadvantage of our neighbor are 
generally rash judgments: 

1. Through want of authority. Proofs drawn from Holy Scripture. 

2. Through want of knowledge, because 
i°. We judge from appearances only. 

2 0 . We judge of the intention by the act. 

3 0 . We judge on the report of another. 

4 0 . We regard idle suspicions as convincing proofs. 

3. Through want of probity. 

Justice is an essential condition for every judgment: “He has made 



RASH JUDGMENTS 315 

judgment and justice.” But this condition is almost always wanting, 
because our judgments are influenced by prejudice, by hatred, by vexa¬ 
tion, and especially by self-interest. 

II 

A Christian should never judge any one rashly, nor believe the rash 
judgments passed by others; justice, charity, religion, the command¬ 
ments of Jesus Christ, all forbid him to do so, all condemn rash judg¬ 
ments. 


LIII 


THE NINTH COMMANDMENT 

IMPURE THOUGHTS AND DESIRES 

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” (Deut. v, 21) 

By the sixth and seventh commandments God forbids every act 
contrary to chastity and justice, by the ninth and tenth He forbids 
even desires that are opposed to these virtues. Although one may 
sin by desire against the other commandments also, God has not given 
special precepts forbidding such sins, as He has given those prohibit¬ 
ing desires of impurity and injustice; because the strong inclination 
which man has for impure pleasures and for worldly wealth, seems to 
be more closely united to our corrupt nature. Hence it has been in 
some sense necessary that the obligation under which we are to over¬ 
come this vicious inclination should be more expressly declared to us. 
Let us consider: I. When bad thoughts are sins; II. When they are 
not sins; III. Means of overcoming impure temptations. 

I. WHEN BAD THOUGHTS ARE SINS 

The desire of an impure act is a sin, because not alone the acts in 
themselves are sinful, but also the consent of the will to these acts. 
Simple impure thoughts are sins when the will has a part in them, 
when they are voluntarily entertained, when consent is given to them, 
when pleasure is taken in them, when one is careless in turning 
away from them. But sins of desire and of thought are of the same 
nature as the act itself. They are often accompanied by aggravating 
circumstances, which should be declared in confession. 

“Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her hath already com¬ 
mitted adultery with her in his heart.” (Matth. v, 28) 

As God has the right to forbid to us the love of certain things, be¬ 
cause He has a sovereign authority over our hearts, so He has the right 
to forbid certain remembrances, certain thoughts, certain voluntary 
representations, because He is equally the Master of our intellect. 
“How long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee?” (Jer. iv, 14) 
“For perverse thoughts separate from God.” (Wis. i, 3) 

“Evil thoughts are an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. xv, 26) 
The desire of evil, then, is always a sin. In fact, if the evil is not 

316 


IMPURE THOUGHTS AND DESIRES 


3i7 


committed, it is only because the occasion or the means of committing it 
are wanting; the evil would be done if it could be done: the crime, 
therefore, is already consummated in the heart. 

“From the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, for¬ 
nications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.” (Matth. xv, 19) 

This is what many Christians do not understand. They do not be¬ 
lieve themselves guilty. They think they are preserving chastity be¬ 
cause they are neither fornicators nor adulterers; and they count as 
mere trifles the many impure thoughts on which they dwell with pleas¬ 
ure. They do not confess these thoughts. Nevertheless, 

“Dig in the wall. ... Go in and see the wicked abominations which 
they commit there.” (Ezech. viii, 8, 9) 

“Woe to you . . . because you are like to whited sepulchres, which 
outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s 
bones and of all filthiness.” (Matth. xxiii, 27) 

II. WHEN THEY ARE NOT SINS 

But if the bad thoughts are not voluntary, if they are rejected, far 
from being sins, they are on the contrary, occasions and subjects of 
merit in the sight of God. As a consequence of original sin, the Lord 
leaves to us the combats that result from the revolt of the flesh against 
the spirit, in order to furnish matter for our triumphs. He supports 
us in these combats by His grace. We have, therefore, nothing to fear 
from these bad thoughts that attack us against our will; only we must 
reject them as quickly as possible and see that they do not become 
voluntary. 

“One sins only by the will.” (S. Aug.) 

“So far, therefore, a sin is a voluntary evil, as unless it be voluntary 
it is not by any means a sin.” (S. Aug.) 

This truth should give comfort to scrupulous souls. 

“There is now, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ 
Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh.” (Rom. viii, 1) 

During this life we must not expect a lasting peace, sheltered from 
the attacks of our enemies. 

“The life of man upon earth is a warfare.” (Job vii, 1) 

“We desire that there should be no concupiscences, but we cannot 
effect this.” (S. Aug.) 

No, temptation is no sin, provided we are faithful to the graces 
which God gives us to overcome it. 

“Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, so as to obey 
the lusts thereof.” (Rom. vi, 12) 

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been 
proved, he shall receive the crown of life which God hath promised 


THE NINTH COMMANDMENT 


3i8 

to them that love Him. Let no man who is tempted, say that he is 
tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of evils. But eve^y man 
is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured.” 
(Jas. i, 12-14) 

Up to this point there is no sin, but if we are not careful: 

“When concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But sin, 
when it is completed, begetteth death.” (Jas. i, 15) 

“Concupiscence indeed is not sin in the regenerated, when they do 
not consent to its unlawful works.” (S. Aug.) 

“[Therefore] : Go not after thy lusts.” (Eccli. xviii, 30) 

“I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from 
carnal desires which war against the soul.” (1 Pet. ii, 11) 


III. MEANS OF OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS TO IMPURITY 

1. To reject bad thoughts at once, as we shake a spark of fire off 
the hand the instant it touches us. 

“Take away the evil of your devices.” (Is. i, 16) 

“My son, attend to my wisdom, . . . that thou mayst keep thoughts.” 
(Prov. v, 1, 2) 

2. To distrust our own strength, and to have recourse to prayer. . . . 
“Watch ye and pray that you enter not into temptation.” (Matth. 

xxvi, 41) 

“Whose aid is to be sought for against these things, unless that of 
the helper in favors and in tribulations?” (S. Greg.) 

“Be Thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge.” 
(Ps. xxx, 3) 

“And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God 
gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it 
was; I went to the Lord and besought Him.” (Wis. viii, 21) 

3. To be mindful of the presence of God. 

“The searcher of hearts and reins is God.” (Ps. vii, 10) 

“Walk before me and be perfect.” (Gen. xvii, 1) 

“I set the Lord always in my sight.” (Ps. xv, 8) 

4. To keep the truths of faith before our minds. 

“In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.’’ 
(Eccli. vii, 40) 

5. To meditate on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. 

“He loved me and delivered Himself for me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 


IMPURE THOUGHTS AND DESIRES 


3i9 


6. To fly all idleness, to have recourse to the most pure Virgin, to 
frequent the Sacraments. 

If you make use of these means:— 

“Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow 
that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark, 
of invasion, or of the noon-day devil.” (Ps. xc, 5, 6) 

“The devil can bark, he can tempt, but he can bite only those who 
wish to be bitten.” (S. Aug.) 

“God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that 
which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue, that 
you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. x, 13) 

“I can do all things in Him who strengthened me.” (Phil, iv, 13) 
“He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. 
x, 22) 


LIV 


THE TENTH COMMANDMENT 

UNLAWFUL DESIRES FOR TEMPORAL GOODS 

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, . . . nor anything that is 
his.” (Exod. xx, 17) 

God was not satisfied with forbidding the exterior works of sin; 
He wished to destroy the evil in its source. Cupidity, the unlawful 
desire of the goods of others, is the source of injustice. This is why 
God forbids us by the tenth commandment: I. To wish to get pos¬ 
session of the goods of others by unjust means; II. To be attached 
to or ambitious of riches. III. Because of this prohibition we are 
obliged to have and to preserve the spirit of poverty and detachment 
from worldly goods. 


I. WE ARE FORBIDDEN TO WISH TO GET POSSESSION OF THE GOODS 
OF OTHERS BY UNJUST MEANS 

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.” (Exod. xxi, 17) 

Remark that this commandment forbids the desire of acquiring un¬ 
justly the property of another. The desire to have the property of 
another is not always unjust. It is sinful especially in two cases. 

1. When a person wishes to get possession of the property of an¬ 
other by unjust means, such as larceny, fraud, etc. 

“The desire of money is the root of all evils.” (1 Tim. vi, 10) 

2. When a person desires it by failing in charity towards his neigh¬ 
bor,—which happens in different ways; for example, by envying the 
property of the neighbor, by desiring that others might suffer losses 
which he could turn to his own advantage, by grieving at his abundance, 
by rejoicing at public calamities, or at scarcity, because he can sell his 
goods at a higher price. 

“Those who long for the property of others are more quickly de¬ 
prived of their own.” (S. Greg.) 

“He that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 20) 


320 


UNLAWFUL DESIRES FOR TEMPORAL GOODS 321 


II. WE ARE FORBIDDEN TO BE ATTACHED TO OR AMBITIOUS OF 
RICHES 

Not that the desire to acquire property by just means is forbidden. 
Riches are not bad in themselves; what God condemns is ambition, 
the too great longing for earthly goods. 

“It is not wealth, but his love for it, that is condemned in a rich man.” 
(S. Greg.) 

These desires are sinful, (i) because they are opposed to the end 
for which we were created, (2) because of the dangers to which they 
expose us. 

1. We were created to love God and gain Heaven. But how much 
these immoderate desires of earthly goods are opposed to this sublime 
end! 

“Where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.” (Matth. vi, 21) 

2. As to the dangers arising from ambition and immoderate desire 
of riches, let us listen to what the great Apostle says: 

“They that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare 
of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which 
drown men into destruction and perdition. For the desire of money 
is the root of all evils, which some coveting have erred from the 
faith, and have entangled themselves in many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 
vi, 9, 10) 

This immoderate desire of riches causes men to break the law of 
God in many points. Indeed those who think only of accumulating 
wealth, will have great difficulty in giving to the work of their sal¬ 
vation the time, the care, and the solicitude which it demands. . . . 
They will neglect almsgiving, the sanctification of the Sundays and 
holy days of obligation, etc. 

“The avarice of the rich is insatiable, it is always grasping, is never 
content, neither fears nor respects man.” (S. Aug.) 

It is very rare to find a man filled with these desires who does not 
sin against justice. At least he is strongly tempted to do so. Cupidity 
is the source of theft, deceit, unjust law-suits, etc. 

“Whence are wars and contentions among you ? Are they not hence, 
from your concupiscences, which war in your members?” (Jas. iv, 1) 

Example of Achab, King of Samaria, coveting the vineyard of Na¬ 
both (3 Kings xxi). 

These immoderate desires are to be condemned even more in those 
who are already well supplied with worldly goods, and in those from 
whom death will soon take away all they possess. And yet there is 


322 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT 

nothing more common than to see such people filled with the craving 
for more wealth. 

“There is but one, and he hath not a second, no child, no brother, 
and yet he ceaseth not to labor, nor are his eyes satisfied with riches, 
neither doth he reflect, saying: For whom do I labor and defraud 
my soul of good things? In this also is vanity and a grievous vexa¬ 
tion.” (Eccle. iv, 8) 

See that avaricious man; he is constantly hoarding up riches; he 
craves for a certain fortune, a certain sum; he deprives himself of 
necessaries of life in order to obtain it, in the flattering hope that he 
will then enjoy himself. And when at last he is going to give him¬ 
self some pleasure,—death comes. . . . 

“Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee; and whose 
shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke xii, 20) 

And yet who to-day acknowledges that he is grasping and avaricious ? 

“No one understands that he is avaricious; no one feels that he is 
covetous.” (S. Aug.) 

(See St. Francis of Sales, Introduction, P. 3, c. 14) 

III. THE SPIRIT OF POVERTY 

Besides cupidity and the immoderate longing for riches, the Gospel 
also forbids us to be attached to what we possess. Real and effective 
poverty is of counsel only; but the spirit of poverty and detachment 
is absolutely necessary in order to gain Heaven. 

“If riches abound, set not your eyes upon them.” (Ps. lxi, 11) 

“If you love riches, you will perish with them.” (S. Aug.) 

“You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke xvi, 13) 

“Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any 
man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 
IS) 

“They that buy [be] as though they possessed not; and they that 
use this world as if they used it not.” (1 Cor. vii, 30, 31) 

“Being rich, He [Christ] became poor, for your sakes; that through 
His poverty you might be rich.” (2 Cor. viii, 9) 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 
(Matth. v, 3) 

To acquire this spirit of poverty of which Christ speaks, it is not 
sufficient to be indifferent to the goods of this world. This spirit of 
poverty and detachment is a virtue. It must be supernatural in its 
beginning and in its end. It consists in three things: 

1. In being satisfied with the state in which it has pleased God to 


UNLAWFUL DESIRES FOR TEMPORAL GOODS 323 

place us, and with the goods He gives us, to consent freely to be de¬ 
prived of them if God wishes it, to bear poverty patiently. 

Such were the dispositions of that holy man, Job: 

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; as it hath pleased 
the Lord, so be it done; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job i, 21) 
“If we have received good things at the hand of the Lord, why 
should we not receive evil?” (Job ii, 10) 


2. To be disposed to lose all, to sacrifice all, rather than commit 
sin. 

“Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent.” (Eccli. xxi, 2) 


3. To value the goods of this world only in as far as they can be 
useful to us in the work of our salvation, and, consequently, to prefer 
the smallest spiritual riches to the greatest temporal wealth. 

We may then be poor in spirit in the midst of riches—just as those 
who are poor may draw on themselves the maledictions uttered against 
the rich, by an inordinate attachment to what they possess and by the 
ambitious desires which they cherish. 

What is there more suitable to make us holy and pleasing to God, 
than the spirit of poverty! 

In order to understand it better, consider how great an obstacle to 
salvation is the attachment to riches. It stifles the word of God. To 
speak of the happiness, of the delights of the spiritual life to a man so 
attached to the world, is to speak a language he does not understand. 

“The sensual man perceiveth not those things that are of the Spirit 
of God.” (1 Cor. ii, 14) 

This attachment puts aside the divine mysteries, places great ob¬ 
stacles to prayer and meditation, which nevertheless are so necessary, 
divides the heart between God and the creature. 

“He that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, 
how he may please his wife; and he is divided.” (1 Cor. vii, 33) 
The spirit of poverty and detachment procures for us temporal 
advantages also, tranquillity, peace, contentment, even in the greatest 
reverses (example of Job), while covetousness destroys the peace of 
heart and consumes unhappy victims. (Example of Achab, to whom 
Naboth refused to sell his vineyard) : 

“And casting himself upon his bed, he turned away his face to the 
wall, and would eat no bread.” (3 Kings xxi, 4) 

“Blessed is he who goes not after those things which, when possessed, 
are burdensome; when loved, corrupt; when lost, cause torture.” (S. 
Bern.) 


32 4 


THE TENTH COMMANDMENT 


To acquire and preserve this spirit of poverty we must often and 
seriously call to mind: 

1. That earthly goods are only vanity ; 

“Vanity of vanities . . . and affliction of spirit/’ 

“They shall leave their riches to strangers, and their sepulchres shall 
be their houses for ever.” (Ps. xlviii, 12) 

2. That the more attached we become to earthly goods, the more in¬ 
capable we become of raising ourselves to those of Heaven. 

“I am become rich, I have found me an idol.” (Os. xii, 8) 

3. That at death it will be very painful to leave those things which 
we loved so much. 

“We brought nothing into this world; and certainly we can carry 
nothing out of it. But having food and wherewith to be covered, with 
these we are content.” (1 Tim. vi, 7, 8) 

4. Let us gladly fulfil the precept of alms-giving. 

“He that giveth to the poor shall not want.” (Prov. xxviii, 27) 

As it is by loving God that we learn to love Him, so it is by making 
some sacrifice of earthly goods, as occasion offers, that we learn to 
detach ourselves from them. 

5. Finally, let us often think of our heavenly home. . . . “How vile 
the earth appears when I consider Heaven.” (S. Ign.) 

We have been created by God; He alone can satisfy the desires of 
our heart. 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things 
shall be added unto you.” (Matth. vi, 33) 


LV 


THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH 

“If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and 
publican.” (Matth. xviii, 17) 

Before commencing the explanation of the commandments of the 
Church I must speak of her authority, of the power she has received 
from Jesus Christ. I will show you: I. That the Church has power 
to make laws binding on all Christians; II. The end she has in view 
in giving us these laws. 

I. THE CHURCH HAS POWER TO MAKE LAWS BINDING ON ALL 
CHRISTIANS 

By the Church is here understood the teaching Church, the higher 
pastors, that is, the Pope and the bishops. 

1. Christ, in giving us the Church as our mother, gave to her the 
power to make commandments or laws. 

She regenerates us by Baptism; she makes us the adopted children 
of God. In our spiritual infancy she teaches us the first principles of 
religion; in a more advanced age she gives us wider and fuller instruc¬ 
tions; she nourishes our soul with food in making us partake of the 
Holy’Table. 

She directs us in the way of salvation. She never abandons us. 
Are we lost in the way of sin, she invites us to repentance; are we 
sick, she visits us, and offers us the spiritual remedies established by 
Jesus Christ. 

If the Church is our mother, we should honor and obey her; she 
has the right to command us. 

“If then I be a father, where is my honor?” (Mai. i, 6) 

2. Our Divine Saviour deputed His Apostles and the bishops who 
succeeded them, to instruct and govern the faithful . 

“Going teach ye all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matth. xxviii, 19, 20) 

“The Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the Church of 
God.” (Acts xx, 28) 


325 


326 


THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH 


He gave them the authority necessary to direct the faithful in the 
way of salvation. He addressed to them these words: 

“Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in 
heaven.” (Matth. xviii, 18) 

And what is this power of binding consciences if not the power 
of making laws or commandments? 

“He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, 
despiseth Me. And he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.” 
(Luke x, 16) 

“As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you.” (John xx, 21) 

“Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church.” 
(Matth. xvi, 18) 

“If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen 
and publican.” (Matth. xviii, 17) 

“Feed my lambs, . . . feed My sheep.” (John xxi, 15, 17) 

“Feed the flock of God which is among you.” (1 Pet. v, 2) 

“His [Christ’s] power shall be from sea to sea, and from rivers 
even to the end of the earth.” (Zach. ix, 10). Thus the Church has 
always used the power which Christ gave her, to make laws which she 
judged necessary or useful. 

He who does not obey her, is a rebellious child and loses the 
rights which were his as a child of God. 

“He who will not have the Church as his mother, cannot have God 
as his Father.” (S. Cypr.) 

To resist the Church and to struggle against what she has decreed, 
is to contradict the Holy Ghost. 

“It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us.” (Acts xv, 28) 

If the Church had to suffer only from those who are separated from 
her by schism and apostasy, her affliction would not be so great. 

“If my enemy had reviled me, I would have borne with it. And if 
he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would perhaps 
have hidden myself from him. But thou, a man of one mind, my guide 
and my familiar.” (Ps. liv, 13, 14) 

But, alas! what opposition does she not meet with from those who, 
while calling themselves her children, trample her precepts under foot! 

II. THE END THE CHURCH HAD IN VIEW IN GIVING US THESE 

LAWS 

The Church makes laws to direct us how to put into practice the 
commandments of God; that is to say, to determine the time and the 
manner of fulfilling them. 

I. She orders us to keep holy the feasts she has established. By this 


WHY THE CHURCH MAKES LAWS 


327 


precept she wishes us to call to mind and to honor the mysteries of our 
holy religion. She desires to encourage us to follow the example of the 
saints and to place ourselves under their protection. 

2. God commands us to sanctify the Sunday. The Church tells us 
how we are to do so. 


3. We offend God in breaking His commandments. . . . He orders 
us to return to Him. “Be converted to Me.” (Is. xlv, 22). Jesus 
Christ instituted the Sacrament of Penance, by which we obtain pardon 
of our sins. The Church has fixed the time beyond which she for¬ 
bids us, under severe punishment, to defer the reception of this Sac¬ 
rament. 

4. Christ commanded us to receive Holy Communion. “Unless you 
eat the flesh of the Son of Man, etc.” (John vi, 54) 

The Church wishes us to communicate very often, but she commands 
us to do so at least at Easter. 


5. The spirit of Christianity is a spirit of penance and. mortification. 
“If you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if by the spirit 
you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live. ’ (Rom. viii, 13) 
“They that are Christ’s, have crucified their flesh with its vices and 

concupiscences.” (Gal. v, 24) _ „ t 

“Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. (Luke 

xiii, 2) 

“I chastise my body and bring it into subjection.” (1 Cor. ix, 27) 


Fasting and abstinence have always been regarded as works of mor¬ 
tification and penance. To lead Christians to the practice of these 
works, the Church has ordered the fasts of quarter-tense, the vigils, 
Lent, and abstinence on Fridays. 

We cannot then refrain from admiring the spirit of the Church, that 
spirit of holiness, of wisdom, of zeal for the glory of God, of tender¬ 
ness and love for her children. ^ N 

There are six principal commandments of the Church (name them). 

The Church has made other laws, a knowledge of which is not so 
necessary to the ordinary Christian, except perhaps the law which for¬ 
bids us to read bad books or to join societies which she has condemned. 


Although the commandments of the Church have the same object 
as the commandments of God, and both bind under pain of sin, yet 
there is some difference between them: 


328 


THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH 


i°. The commandments of God oblige, even though one was threat¬ 
ened with some considerable loss. It is not the same with those of 
the Church. 

2°. The commandments of God are unchangeable. The Church can 
change, or revoke hers; she can dispense from them. 

3°. The law of God cannot be abrogated by any contrary custom; 
but custom can, in certain cases, abrogate the laws of the Church. 

He who does not observe the laws of the Church commits a mortal 
sin, 

(1) when he fails to observe them in an important matter. Alas! 
many Christians think little of breaking the law of fasting or ab¬ 
stinence. One day they will be forced to cry out: “Therefore we have 
erred.” 

(2) when he breaks those laws through contempt, in making a sacri¬ 
legious mockery of them. 

(3) when the transgression is accompanied by grave scandal. 

A true Christian takes care not to disobey the Church, even though 
his disobedience would not be a mortal sin. 

“Obey your prelates, and be subject to them. For they watch as 
being to render an account of your souls.” (Heb. xiii, 17) 

“The scribes and the pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. 
All things therefore, whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and 
do.” (Matth. xxiii, 2, 3) 


LVI 


THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 
TO HEAR MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 

The third commandment of God prescribes the sanctification of the 
Sunday; the first commandment of the Church tells us how to sanctify 
it. 

Of all the acts of religion which man should perform, this is the only 
one which is of strict and grave obligation. 

We shall consider the holy Sacrifice of the Mass in its relation to 
God and in its relation to ourselves.—I. Of all sacrifices, that of the 
Mass gives most glory to God. “I will sacrifice to Thee the Sacrifice 
of praise/’—II. Of all sacrifices, that of the Mass is the most beneficial 
to man, and the one by which he can most efficaciously invoke the 
name of the Lord: “And I will call upon the name of the Lord.” 
(Ps. cxv, 13) 


I. OF ALL SACRIFICES THAT OF THE MASS GIVES MOST GLORY 
TO GOD 


A sacrifice is an act of religion, by which there is offered to God 
a thing which, in the oblation, is destroyed or changed, to acknowledge 
His supreme dominion over creatures. 

“It is Thou, O Lord, that hast the power of life and death.” (Wis. 
xvi, 13) 

Without sacrifice we could not give to God the perfect worship which 


He deserves. . . 

God deserves our homage because of Himself and His infinite per¬ 
fections; He deserves our gratitude because of the benefits which He 
has bestowed on us. But 

1 The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most glorious homage we 
can render to God, because it is the most perfect holocaust that ever 
has been or can be offered. 

2. The Sacrifice of the Mass is the most appropriate satisfaction we 
can offer to God for all the benefits we have received from Him. 


I Whatever glory man can give to God by his virtues will always 

329 


330 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 


be infinitely below what God deserves. It is God, and God only, 
who can glorify Himself in a manner worthy of Him. But it is in the 
Sacrifice of the Mass that we find the only means of giving to God all 
the honor due to Him. For in the holy Mass we offer Him His own 
Divine Son, and, therefore, a victim of infinite value; or to speak more 
correctly, it is the Son of God who offers Himself to His Father; He 
is both priest and victim at the same time, and offers Himself as a holo¬ 
caust, to render to His Father, in the name of all creatures, the homage 
that is due to His infinite majesty. 

“Christ being come an High-Priest of the good things to come . . . 
neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by His own blood, en¬ 
tered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Heb. 
ix, ii, 12) 

“For this He did once in offering Himself.” (Ibid, vii, 27) 

This sacrifice was offered only at one time and in one place; and yet 
God required a victim that would give Him glory at all times and in 
all places. 

“In every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name 
a clean oblation.” (Mai. i, 11) 

This is why the adorable Son, in His infinite wisdom, found a 
means of perpetuating even to the end of time, the sacrifice which He 
offered on the cross to the glory of His Father. 

“Do this in commemoration of Me.” (Luke xxii, 19) 

“As often as you do these things, do them in memory of Me.” 
(Canon of the Mass) 

The manner in which Christ offers Himself in the holy Sacrifice of 
the Mass is by the ministry of His priests. 

“The Sacrifice of the Cross and the Sacrifice of the Mass are one 
and the same; the same now offering by the ministry of priests who 
then offered Himself on the Cross. (Council of Trent, Sess. 22, c. 2) 

“Christ . . . hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and a sacri¬ 
fice to God for an odor of sweetness.” (Eph. v, 2) 

“For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the 
Holies by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Where¬ 
fore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, 
suffered without the gate.” (Heb. xiii, 11, 12) 

It is, then, the blood of Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb, which 
flows on our altars and sends up towards heaven a perfume infinitely 
more pleasing than the smoke of the ancient sacrifices. It is, there¬ 
fore, the most glorious holocaust we can offer to God. 

Listen to Jesus Christ in the Sacrifice of the Mass, saying to His 
Father: 

“Sacrifice and oblation Thou didst not desire; but Thou hast pierced 


HEARING MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 331 

ears for me. Burnt-offering and sin-offering Thou didst not require: 
then said I, Behold I come.” (Ps. xxxix, 7, 8) 

One Mass, then, gives more glory to God than all men and even 
all angels could procure for Him by their holiest actions. One single 
Mass is, by itself, more than sufficient to atone for all the outrages God 
receives from sinners, because the dignity of the Victim which is of¬ 
fered in the Mass is greater than all the malice of men who offend 
God. What a powerful motive for assisting at Mass! 

2. God has bestowed on us so many gifts both of nature and of 
grace, that we find ourselves unable to show Him a gratitude worthy 
of them. But Jesus Christ has given us the means of doing so in the 
holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 

“What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath 
rendered to me? I will take the chalice of salvation.” (Ps. cxv, 12, 13) 

The holy Mass is truly a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and in it we offer 
to God His only Son, the object of His love. We thus make to God 
a present worthy of Him, a present which not only equals, but sur¬ 
passes, all the riches which we have received from Him, since it is 
of infinite value. 

May you, then, always avail yourselves of so excellent a means of 
glorifying God as your Sovereign Lord, and of thanking Him as your 
Benefactor! But to do this you must unite yourselves to this holy 
Sacrifice by the respect with which you should assist at it, and the 
gratitude with which you should be penetrated. But in what does 
this respect consist? In always assisting at the holy Mass with a de¬ 
meanor full of respect and with feelings of the most profound humility. 
Man being composed of a body and a soul, these two should contribute to 
honor God, each in its own manner. 

“Come, let us fall down.” (Ps. xciv, 2). “Let us give thanks to 
the Lord our God.” (Preface of the Mass). But do people assist at 
the holy Sacrifice with that respect, that humility, that gratitude, which 
they should bring to it ? Alas! when assisting at Mass they sometimes 
place themselves in an unbecoming posture, they take part in profane 
conversations, they give all kinds of liberty to their senses, they give 
way to voluntary distractions. How many there are who find the 
time too long, who carry their want of devotion so far as to leave the 
church at the very time that Christ is offering Himself in sacrifice for 
them! What ingratitude! What impiety! 

“And you have dishonored Me.” (John viii, 49) 

II. THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS IS THE MOST BENEFICIAL TO MAN 

This Sacrifice is at the same time both propitiatory and impetratory. 


332 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 

i. It is propitiatory, in order to appease the justice of God, irritated by 
the sins of man; 2. It is impetratory, in order to obtain for man all 
the graces he requires. 

1. What more efficacious means to appease the divine justice, and to 
obtain pardon of our sins, than a sacrifice in which there is offered to 
God a Victim who has atoned for all the sins of the world. 

“If the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being 
sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled to the cleansing of the flesh; 
how much more shall the Blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost of¬ 
fered Himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our consciences from dead 
works, to serve the living God?” (Heb. ix, 13, 14) 

This blood is of infinite value. And it is this value of the blood of 
Christ which is applied to us in the holy Mass. It is offered for our 
reconciliation by Jesus Christ, who puts Himself in the place of sinful 
man. 

“For them do I sanctify Myself; that they also may be sanctified 
in truth.” (John xvii, 19) 

“Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in 
the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacri¬ 
fices for sins.” (Heb. v, 1) 

The efficacy of this divine Sacrifice is so great that it can change the 
most hardened sinner into a great saint, if he is faithful enough in as¬ 
sisting at it with devotion and profiting by the graces that are attached 
to it. 

The Sacrifice of the Mass effaces and remits the temporal punish¬ 
ment due to sin. This is why it is offered for the souls in Purgatory. 

Sinners, assist at it then. But to obtain pardon, offer to God, with 
this holy Sacrifice, a humble and contrite heart. 

“A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a humble and contrite heart, 
O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 1 , 19) 

“They returned striking their breasts.” (Luke xxiii, 48) 

Such should be your dispositions. When in the holy place strive to 
feel as the humble publican felt, when he dared not raise his eyes to 
heaven, but struck his breast while imploring the mercy of God: 

“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke xviii, 13) 

Do not come to Mass to insult Jesus Christ by your dissipation and 
want of reverence. You would be like the Jews who said mockingly: 

“If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the Cross.” (Matth. 
xxvii, 40) 

“Hail, King of the Jews . . . and they that passed by blasphemed 
Him, wagging their heads.” {Ibid., 29, 39) 


HEARING MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 333 

On the contrary, let your thoughts dwell with sorrow on His bitter 
passion. 

“Christ having suffered in the flesh, be you armed with the same 
thought.” (1 Pet. iv, 1) 


2. The Sacrifice of the Mass is impetratory. 

If we are to judge of the success of our requests by the credit which 
our advocates have with those we address, what should we not hope for 
from the mediation of Jesus Christ? 

“Who was heard for His reverence.” (Heb. v, 7) 

“Always living to make intercession for us.” (Heb. vii, 25) 

Can God refuse anything to a Mediator so holy and powerful? 
Therefore the Church ends all her prayers with the words: “Through 
our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.” 

During the holy Mass, then, can we not with the greatest confidence 
demand from God all the graces of which we stand in need? 

“He that spared not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for 
us all; how hath He not also with Him given us all things.” (Rom. 
viii, 32) 

Come, then, with confidence to the altar, on which our Divine Saviour 
immolates Himself. Sinners, come to demand your conversion. You, 
just souls, who fear to lose the treasure of grace, come to demand holy 
perseverance. It is difficult to obtain at any other time what we do 
not get then, because in the Mass our prayers are accompanied by 
those of Jesus Christ. In the Mass you can ask even for temporal 
favors. But in doing so keep God and your salvation always before 
your mind. 

You can pray for the needs of those who are dear to you, for the 
souls in Purgatory, etc. 

In order to render your prayers more pleasing to God, and therefore 
more efficacious for yourselves, assist at Mass with modesty and atten¬ 
tion. In your intercourse with God do not imitate the carnal Jews, 
of whom Christ said: 

“This people honoreth Me with their lips; but their hearts are far 


from me.” (Matth. xv, 8) 

“What is the meaning that My beloved hath wrought much wicked¬ 
ness in My house?” (Jer. xi, 15) 

“What things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.” (Ps. 
lxxiii, 3) 

“In Thy churches I will bless Thee, O Lord.” (Ps. xxv, 12) 



334 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 


Divisions 

I 

1. What is a sacrifice? 

i°. What is the Sacrifice of the Mass? 

2°. For what ends is it offered? 

2 . Duty of assisting at Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation. 
Dispositions with which we should assist. 

II 

1. Parish priests are obliged to offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass 
for their parishioners on Sundays and holydays of obligation. 

2 . Advantages to be gained by the faithful in assisting at the pa¬ 
rochial Mass. 


LVII 


THE SECOND AND THIRD COMMANDMENTS 
OF THE CHURCH 

ANNUAL CONFESSION AND PASCHAL COMMUNION 

“All the faithful of both sexes . . . shall faithfully confess their sins, 
at least once a year, to their own priest, . . . receiving the Holy Sacra¬ 
ment of the Eucharist at least at Easter.” (Council of the Lateran) 

We shall speak in another place of confession and holy Communion; 
here there is question only of the annual confession and Communion 
required by the commandments of the Church. Let us consider: I. 
To what we are obliged by the precept of the Paschal Communion; II. 
How we should prepare ourselves to fulfil this duty. 


I. TO WHAT WE ARE OBLIGED BY THE PRECEPT OF THE PASCHAL 
COMMUNION 

The Paschal or Easter duty is that obligation by which all the 
faithful who have attained to the use of reason, are bound to go to 
confession once a year and to communicate at Easter. In order to 
understand what this precept demands of us, we must consider what 
the Church orders by these two commandments. 

i. She orders us to confess our sins at least once a year ( (( saltern 
semel in anno”). She wishes, however, that we should go to con¬ 
fession more frequently. The Church has made this law in order to 
check the tepidity and negligence of bad Catholics, lest they should re¬ 
main for years in their sins, or become careless regarding the salva¬ 
tion of their souls. ' , , r . , , 

“Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
day. For His wrath shall come on a sudden and in the time of His 
vengeance He will destroy thee. (Eccli. v, 8) 

“To his own pastor,” that is to say, the bishop, the parish priest, or, 
according to the present discipline of the Church, any approved priest. 

The Church has not determined the exact time of this annual con¬ 
fession ; but the precept which it imposes of communicating at Easter, 
makes it sufficiently clear that this confession should serve as a prepara- 

335 


336 THE SECOND AND THIRD COMMANDMENTS 


tion for the Paschal Communion. Moreover, the intention of the 
Church in the Lenten regulation is: 

“The duty of confessing should be coincident with the commence¬ 
ment of the fasting.” (Petr. Bios.) 

At what age should children go to confession? 

The Church wishes her children to confess often; because he who 
goes to confession only once a year is hardly in a state to make that 
confession well. 

The longer confession is deferred, the stronger grow bad habits, 
the more do sins increase, and the more difficult does conversion 
become. 

2. The Church orders us to communicate at least at Easter (“ad 
minus in Pascha”). 

In the early ages of the Church the faithful communicated regularly 
every time they assisted at holy Mass. But, alas! charity grew cold, 
and the Church saw herself obliged to command her children to re¬ 
ceive holy Communion at least three times a year,—at Easter, at Pente¬ 
cost, and at Christmas. Finally, in the fourth Council of the Lateran, 
she ordered all the faithful to communicate at least at Easter, under 
pain of being refused admission into the Church during life, and of 
being deprived of Christian burial after death. 

The Easter Communion should be made in the parish church. 

The Church wishes her children to communicate more frequently. 
Those who present themselves to receive the holy Eucharist only when 
the precept of the Church rigorously obliges them, are as a rule hardly 
disposed to receive that Divine Food even at the Paschal time. It will 
not benefit us much to know the excellence of this Heavenly Nourish¬ 
ment, unless we have at the same time an ardent desire to receive it. 
The absence of this desire shows that one is very careless regarding 
salvation. 

3. The Church does not order us simply to approach the Sacraments 
at Easter time; she wishes us to do so worthily. 

We must, then, prepare ourselves carefully for this great act, in 
order to bring to it the required dispositions. 


II. HOW WE SHOULD PREPARE OURSELVES TO FULFIL THIS DUTY 
What preparation should we make for confession? 

1. A serious examination of conscience preceded by fervent prayer 
A man commits sins without number and forgets them. His vices 


ANNUAL CONFESSION—PASCHAL COMMUNION 337 

and bad habits grow always greater. He rarely goes to confession; 
and when he does go, it is without examination or reflection. Take 
care, God wishes to be merciful to you, but only on condition that you 
remember your sins in sorrow of soul, and sincerely repent of them:— 

“You shall remember your ways and all your wicked doings with 
which you have been defiled; and you shall be displeased with your¬ 
selves in your own sight, for all your wicked deeds which you com¬ 
mitted.(Ezech. xx, 43) 

How is this examination to be made ? 

“Enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door. . . (Matth. 
vi, 6) 

Prostrate at the foot of the crucifix, see if there is anything in your 
past confessions that must be made right. Say to God: 

“I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 

Examine, then, how you have kept the Commandments of God and 
of the Church, and how you have fulfilled the duties of your state of life. 

2. Sincere sorrow 

It is not enough to recall to mind the sins you have committed. “I 
have remembered the evils I have done,” said Antiochus (1 Mach, 
vi, 12) ; and yet he did not obtain mercy. Neither is it enough to con¬ 
fess these sins. Judas acknowledged his guilt: “I have sinned in be¬ 
traying innocent blood” (Matth. xxvii, 4) ; yet he died impenitent. 

What, then, is necessary? You must have a true sorrow for your 
sins, and a firm intention to abstain from sin in future; without that 
there is no pardon. 

“Be penitent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be 
blotted out.” (Acts iii, 19) 

“God pardons the sins of those converted to Him; He does not par¬ 
don those who are not converted.” (S. Aug.) 

3. A humble and sincere confession 

Do not hide anything; and be not like the Pharisee who published his 
virtues and concealed his faults. Tell the kinds of sins, the number and 
circumstances of each kind. Make known the habits you have con¬ 
tracted, and the occasions that cause you to fall into sin. 

“If a sick man is ashamed to speak of his disease to a physician, the 
latter cannot make use of the remedies necessary to effect a cure.” (S. 
Jerome) 

Do not lay the blame on others, as Adam did: 

“The woman whom Thou gavest me to be my companion gave me of 
the tree, and I did eat.” (Gen. iii, 12) 


338 THE SECOND AND THIRD COMMANDMENTS 

Acknowledge your guilt and say: “Mea culpa .” . . . *‘I [David] 
am he that have sinned; I have done wickedly.” (2 Kings xxiv, 17) 

4. Finally, penance and satisfaction 

You have offended God in so many ways! You must make atone¬ 
ment to the divine justice as far as you can; humble yourselves, fast, 
pray, as much as your confessor will consider prudent. 

“Our tears of repentance should bear some proportion to our guilt; 
a deep wound requires special and careful treatment; a severe attack 
of illness requires strong medicine. Let not your repentance be less 
than your crime.” (S. Cypr.) 

That is what you must do in order to fulfil your Easter duty as you 
should. Our Lord wishes to make the Pasch with you: “With thee 
I make the Pasch.” (Matth. xxvi, 18) 

Is it not, then, just that you should dispose yourselves as well as 
possible to receive Him in the Sacrament of His love? 

“Prepare your hearts unto the Lord.” (1 Kings vii, 3) 


Division 

I 

i°. What the Church orders by this commandment: “You shall con¬ 
fess all your sins, etc.” 

2 0 . To whom this confession must be made. 

3 0 . Why the Church earnestly desires that her children should con¬ 
fess more frequently than once a year. 

4°. At what age are children obliged to confess? 

II 

i°. What the Church orders by the commandment: “You shall re¬ 
ceive holy Communion, etc.” 

2 0 . Where the Easter Communion must be made. 

3 0 . Penalties inflicted by the Church on those who neglect to make 
their Easter Communion. 

4°. The age at which children are obliged to go to holy Communion. 



LVIII 

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 


HOLYDAYS AND FEASTS OF OBLIGATION 

“These are the holidays of the Lord which you must celebrate.” (Levit. 
xxiii, 4) 

The Church, in virtue of the authority which she has received from 
Jesus Christ, has the right to prescribe for her children certain days of 
solemnity. She has exercised this right and the end she proposed to 
herself in instituting these feasts is to give honor and glory to God, to 
instruct and edify the faithful. I. The feasts of our Lord:—How we 
should keep them; II. The Feasts of the Blessed Virgin and the 
Saints:—How they should be celebrated. 

I. THE FEASTS OF OUR LORD 

1. The Church has instituted the feasts of Our Lord to remind us 
of the mysteries of His life, and to give thanks to God for them. Thus 
the feasts of Christmas, of the Circumcision, of the Epiphany, etc., 
were established to rouse the memory, the attention, the piety of the 
faithful regarding objects the most interesting and the most advan¬ 
tageous for their salvation. 

Such was the object of the feasts of the Old Law also. 

“Remember this day, in which you came forth out of Egypt, and out 
of the house of bondage. . . . Thou shalt celebrate this manner of sa¬ 
cred rites in this month. . . . Thou shalt tell thy son in that day, say¬ 
ing: This is what the Lord did to me when I came forth out of 
Egypt. . . . And when thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying: What 
is this? Thou shalt answer him: With a strong hand did the Lord 
bring us forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” 
(Exod. xiii, 3, 5, 8, 14) 

Such also are the lessons which parents should teach their children 
on our solemn feasts. 

2. On the feasts of our Lord we should: i°. consider what Jesus 
Christ has done for our salvation; 2 0 . thank Him for it; 3°. rouse our¬ 
selves to profit it by it. 

i°. For example, on the feast of the Nativity we should consider 

339 


340 FOURTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH 

what took place at Bethlehem, why Christ came on earth (and in like 
manner on the other feasts.) 

2°. We should thank our Lord for what He has done for us in the 
mystery we are celebrating. At Christmas, for example: 

“The goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared/’ (Tit. 
iii, 4 ) 

3°. We should strive to profit by what Christ has done for us 
in the mystery we venerate. Imitate His humility, His poverty, His 
detachment. On each feast Christ says to us: Learn of Me . . . fol¬ 
low Me . . . imitate Me. 

II. THE FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND THE SAINTS 

The Church has instituted these feasts, (i) to thank God for hav¬ 
ing crowned the saints; (2) to encourage us to imitate them; (3) to 
gain their intercession. 

1. To thank God. It is to Him as the Author of all holiness that 
our entire homage should be offered. He crowns His gifts in crown¬ 
ing their merits. On these feasts the holy Sacrifice of the Mass is 
offered in honor of the Saints; it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving offered 
to God. 

2. To encourage us to imitate the saints. The Church says to us: 

“Look and make it according to the pattern that was shown you 

in the mount.” (Exod. xxv, 40) 

3. To gain their intercession. The Saints are our brethren in Jesus 
Christ. They are the friends of God; He is pleased to hear them 
when they pray for us. This intercession helps us to save our souls. 
We have need of it. 

To sanctify as we should the feasts of our Lady and the Saints, we 
must meditate on their virtues, placing them before our minds as our 
models: “To imitate what we worship is the perfection of religion.” 
Say to yourselves then: 

“Can I not do what these have done?” (S. Aug.) 

Let us implore their intercession; let us pray to the Blessed Virgin 
or the Saint whose feast we celebrate, to obtain for us the graces we 
need, in order that we may imitate the virtues of which they have 
given us the example. 

This, then, is how we should sanctify the feasts. But, alas! are 
they sanctified in this way? Innumerable disorders of every kind are 
committed, especially on the feasts of patron saints. The enemies of 
the Church rejoice at this. 

“The enemies have seen her, and have mocked at her sabbath.” 
(Lam. i, 7) 

“Incense is an abomination to Me. The new moons, and the sab- 


HOLYDAYS AND FEASTS OF OBLIGATION 341 

baths, and other festivals I will not abide, your assemblies are wicked. 
My soul hateth your new moons and your solemnities; they are be¬ 
come troublesome to Me, I am weary of bearing them. And when you 
stretch forth your hands, I will turn away My eyes from you; and 
when you multiply prayer I will not hear; for your hands are full 
of blood.” (Is. i, 13-15) 


LIX 


THE FIFTH AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS 
OF THE CHURCH 

THE FAST OF LENT, QUARTER-TENSE, VIGILS, AND FRIDAYS 

“The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from 
them, and then they shall fast.” (Matth. ix, 15) 

The Church has wisely ordered her children to perform penitential 
works at certain times, to teach them that they should consider their 
whole life as a time of penance and mortification. I. Precept regard¬ 
ing the fast: Lent; Quarter-tense; Vigils. II. How to fulfil this pre¬ 
cept. Who are exempt fom the fast? III. Abstinence on Fridays. 

I. PRECEPT REGARDING THE FAST 

Penance is an indispensable condition of salvation: “Except you do 
penance, you shall all likewise perish.” (Luke xiii, 5) 

The precept of fasting and abstinence is very ancient in the Church, 
being of Apostolic tradition. Christ Himself fasted. 

“When He had fasted forty days and forty nights.” (Matth. iv, 2) 
John the Baptist fasted in the desert: 

“John came neither eating nor drinking.” (Matth. xi, 18) 

“It is good not to eat flesh nor to drink wine.” (Rom. xiv, 21) 
“We fast for forty days during the year according to Apostolic tradi¬ 
tion, at a time suitable to us.” (S. Jerome) 

“There is not an island, not a continent, not a city, not a nation, not 
an extreme corner of the earth, where the law of fasting is not observed. 
Reverence the antiquity of fasting.” (S. Basil) 

Fasting was observed in the Old Law: 

“They humbled their souls in fastings.” (Judith iv, 7) 

“I humbled my soul with fasting.” (Ps. xxxiv, 13) 

“She humbled her body with fasts.” (Esther xiv, 2) 

“The men of Ninive proclaimed a fast.” (Jonas iii, 5) 

“Prayer is good with fasting.” (Tob. xii, 8) 

1. Lent 

The fast of Lent was instituted in imitation of the fast of Jesus 
Christ, and to prepare us to celebrate worthily the feast of Easter. 

342 


PRECEPT REGARDING THE FAST 


343 


Christ fasted,—He who had never sinned, who was innocence itself. 
After that should we murmur against the holy rigors of Lent,—we who 
have so many sins to atone for, so many passions to overcome? 

‘‘If He who never sinned, fasted, how much more necessary is fasting 
to man, who is subject to sin?” (S. Aug.) 

Easter is the time for confessing our sins, and therefore a time of 
penance and expiation; we must observe the law of fasting and ab¬ 
stinence during Lent, in order to satisfy the justice of God by the 
mortification of our bodies and our passions. 

Lent begins on Ash-Wednesday. 

“Remember, man, thou art but dust, and into dust thou shalt return.” 
(Gen. iii, 19) 


2. Quarter-tense 

The fast of Quarter-tense was instituted to sanctify by penance the 
four seasons of the year, to call down the blessing of God on the 
goods of the earth and to thank Him for what He has already given, 
to obtain from the goodness of God worthy priests for His Church. 
There is nothing more worthy of our desires and prayers. 

3. Vigils 

The day that precedes a feast is called a vigil. In the early days of 
Christianity the faithful passed the night preceding a solemn feast in 
prayer in church. Abuses caused these pious practices to be abol¬ 
ished; the Church preserves only the fast. These fasts were estab¬ 
lished in order to dispose us to celebrate worthily the feasts they pre¬ 
cede. 


II. HOW WE MUST FULFIL THIS PRECEPT 

i. We must fast in a spirit of penance 

It is the spirit, that is to say, the intention, the good will, that vivifies 
all our Christian actions. We must fast in order to atone for our sins. 

“The night is past. . . . Let us, therefore, cast off the works of 
darkness. . . . Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and 
drunkenness.” (Rom. xiii, 12, 13) 

“Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? Loose the bonds 
of wickedness.” (Is. lviii, 6) 

“Let the palate abstain, let the eye abstain, let the tongue abstain, let 
the hand abstain; much more let the soul abstain from vices and from 
following its own will.” (S. Bern.) 

“Let us specially abstain from sin, lest our fasts, like those of the 
Jews, be rejected by God.” (S. Aug.) 


344 THE FIFTH AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS 


2. To fasting we must join prayer and alms-giving 

“Prayer is good with fasting and alms.” (Tob. xii, 8) 

This is why the Church redoubles her prayers during Lent and in¬ 
vites the faithful to give alms for some special object, each according to 
his means. 

“This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting/' 
(Mark ix, 28) 

“Let us devote to virtue what we withdraw from pleasure; let the 
abstinence of him who fasts be the refreshment of the poor.” (S. Leo) 

“Give to the hungry what you withhold from the stomach.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“Sanctify ye a fast.” (Joel i, 14) 

All those who have completed their twenty-first year are bound under 
pain of mortal sin to fast on days of Quarter-tense, on vigils, and dur¬ 
ing Lent. The fast consists in taking only one meal and abstaining 
from flesh meat. A light collation is allowed in the evening. The 
Church, however, grants a dispensation to the sick, to the convalescent, 
to women who are pregnant, to wet nurses, to old people, and to those 
who are employed in heavy and fatiguing work. 

But those who are dispensed from the fast are not exempt from the 
practice of other mortifications. 

III. ABSTINENCE ON FRIDAYS 

We are forbidden oy the sixth commandment of the Church to eat 
flesh meat on Fridays, in order that we may practise some work of 
penance every week in atonement for our sins and obtain the graces of 
which we stand in need. It is a mortal sin to eat flesh meat on these 
days, because doing so is a violation in a grave matter of a wise and 
holy law, and often in circumstances which aggravate the disobedience 
to an authority established by God to govern us. And yet some dare 
to say: “What difference does it make to God whether I eat flesh 
meat or fish?” Answer: I am a Catholic, a child of the Church. 
(History of Eleazar, 2 Mach, vi, 18 ff.) 

Some say: “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man” 
(Matth. xv, 11) ; or: “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat.” (1 
Cor. x, 25) 

These are frivolous excuses, brought forward by men of bad faith. 
They know, or they could easily learn, that these passages are not 
applicable to the matter with which we are now occupied. 

The Church has chosen Friday for this abstinence because Christ 
died for us on that day. 

People should take care not to allow themselves too much liberty in 


ABSTINENCE 


345 


these matters, but should submit to the authority of the Church. If 
a person of weak health finds it necessary to eat flesh meat on days 
on which it is forbidden, he should consult his bishop or his parish 
priest; good Catholics never fail in this duty. They know that doctors 
can certify flesh meat to be necessary, but cannot give a dispensation 
from the abstinence. 

“He that is temperate shall prolong life.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 34) 

“See what fasting does: it cures diseases, heals, dries up running 
wounds, puts the demon to flight, expels bad thoughts, makes the heart 
clean.” (S. Basil) 

“Fasting is the death of vice, the life of virtue, the strength of the 
mind, the vigor of the soul, the unconquered leader of the Christian 
forces.” (S. Pet. Chrys.) 

“Be sober and watch; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring 
lion, goeth abroad seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. v, 8) 

“If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and 
publican.” (Matth. xviii, 17) 

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the 
Lord.” (Ps. cxviii, 1) 

“My eyes have sent forth springs of water, because they have not 
kept Thy law. . . . Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I 
shall live. ... I will keep Thy justifications; Oh, do not Thou utterly 
forsake me.” (Ps. cxviii, 136, 77, 8) 


Divisions 

I 

1 Fasting is commanded, it cannot therefore be neglected without sin. 

2. It is a light pain, which blots out our sins in punishing us; we 
cannot then dispense ourselves from it without injustice to ourselves. 

II 

Advantages of fasting. It helps us 

1. To curb our vices and passions, which urge us to sin; 

2. To raise up our soul to God and to render it capable of meditat¬ 
ing on and relishing heavenly truths; 

3. To acquire the virtues necessary for us and to bring down on 
us the favors of Heaven. “Who by bodily fasts dost curb vices, dost 
raise up the mind, and dost bestow virtue and rewards,” prays the 
Church. 



LX 


ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS 

“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matth. xix, 
17 ) 

You are not of the number of those who say: “Depart from us, we 
desire not the knowledge of thy ways.” (Job. xxi, 14). You have the 
advantage of knowing what God and your mother the Church require 
of you. This is a very great advantage, but to save our souls it is 
not enough to know the commandments,—we must also observe them. 
“That servant who knew the will of his lord and prepared not himself, 
and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” 
(Luke xii, 47). I. It is possible to observe the commandments; II. 
Reasons for observing them; III. Manner of observing them. 

I. IT IS POSSIBLE TO OBSERVE THE COMMANDMENTS 

There have been heretics who, while admitting the existence of a hell 
in which God punishes the transgressors of His law, dared nevertheless 
to assert that the observance of that law is impossible. What a paradox! 

It is of faith that God does not, and cannot, command anything that 
is impossible. 

“He could not command anything that is impossible because He is 
just; nor will He condemn a man for that which could not be avoided, 
because He is righteous.” (S. Aug.) 

“God has commanded, and you dare to question if it is possible to 
fufil the law!” (S. Chrys.) 

“This commandment that I command thee this day is not above thee, 
nor far off from thee.” (Deut. xxx, 11) 

The observance of the commandments is not only possible, it is also 
easy and pleasant. 

“His commandments are not heavy.” (1 John v, 3) 

“My yoke is sweet and my burden light.” (Matth. xi, 30) 

To what, in fact, is the whole law reduced? To the love of God and 
of our neighbor. But is there anything sweeter or more agreeable to 
man than to love a God so good, so amiable, so merciful? And is not 
this precept of loving our neighbor as ourselves engraved in the heart 
of man? 


346 


REASONS FOR OBSERVING THEM 347 

“On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the 
prophets.” (Matth. xxii, 40) 

And is it difficult to observe the commandments of the Church? 

Yet it would be an error to believe that we could keep them of our¬ 
selves and by our own unaided strength. Faith teaches us that we can¬ 
not keep them, at least so as to merit Heaven, unless we are aided by 
divine grace. 

“Without Me you can do nothing.” (John xv, 5) 

But God is always ready to give us this grace. 

“God does not command impossible things, but in commanding, He 
admonishes you to do what you can, and to demand what you cannot 
do, and He helps you to do it.” (S. Aug.) 

“Strengthen me, O Lord, that I may be strong; give what You com¬ 
mand and command what You please.” (S. Aug.) 

“I will put my Spirit in the midst of you; and I will cause you to 
walk in My commandments, and to keep My judgments.” (Ezech. 
xxxvi, 27) 

If, then, there are commandments which you have not had the 
strength to observe, it is either because you have not asked for grace, 
or have placed an obstacle to it. 

II. REASONS FOR OBSERVING THE COMMANDMENTS 

1. The first and most powerful of all is that these commandments 
come, some direct from God and others from His Church, to whom He 
wishes us to listen as to Himself. 

If earthly rulers have the right to enforce obedience to their laws, 
shall God not have the same right in regard to His laws? 

“By Me kings reign.” (Prov. viii, 15) 

Alas! an earthly sovereign commands, and is obeyed; God exhorts, 
commands, and man rebels against Him. 

“Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this. . . . They have forsaken Me, 
the fountain of living water. . . . Thou hast burst my bonds, and 
thou hast said: I will not serve.” (Jer. ii, 12, 13, 20) 

2. The benefits we have received from God and those He bestows on 
us through His Church, are another motive. for the most exact 
observance of the commandments, especially gratitude. 

3. A third motive is the consideration of the reward which God prom¬ 
ises to those who keep the commandments, and of the punishments to 
be inflicted on those who break them. 

“In keeping them there is a great reward.” (Ps. xviii, 12) 

“Keep His precepts and commandments, which I command thee; that 


348 THE OBSERVANCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS 

it may be well with thee and thy children after thee.” (Deut. iv, 40) 

“In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because 
Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My precepts and commandments.” 
(Gen. xxvi, 4, 5) 

But for us there is a reward greater than temporal blessings, which 
should urge us to keep them: 

“Behold your reward is great in heaven.” (Luke vi, 23) 

“Good Master, what shall I do that I may have life everlasting? . . . 
If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matth. xix, 16, 
17 ) 

The only means then of saving our souls is the observance of the com¬ 
mandments. 

“Son, keep My commandments, and thou shalt live.” (Prov. vii, 2) 

“You are My friends, if you do the things that I command you.” 
(John xv, 14) 

On the other hand, the chastisements of hell will be inflicted on those 
who will not have kept the commandments: 

“Woe to you, ungodly men, that have forsaken the law of the most 
high Lord.” (Eccli. xli, 11) 

“They are cursed who decline from Thy commandments.” (Ps. 
cxviii, 21) 

Sinners, consider which part you will choose. 

III. MANNER OF OBSERVING THE COMMANDMENTS 

1. We must observe the law in every point. 

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is be¬ 
come guilty of all.” (Jas. ii, 10) 

“These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those un¬ 
done.” (Matth. xxiii, 23) 

“If any one keeps one commandment and neglects to keep another, 
it does him no good.” (S. Aug.) 

The authority of God and of the Church are equally to be respected 
in all the commandments. Be not then like the Pharisees, “who strain 
out a gnat and swallow a camel.” (Matth. xxiii, 24) 

But be like the prophet: “Therefore was I directed to all Thy cpm- 
mandments.” (Ps. cxviii, 128) 

“I have hated all wicked ways.” (Ps. cxviii, 128). “Therefore have 
I hated every way of iniquity.” {Ibid., 104) 

“For not the hearers of the law are justified before God; but the 
doers of the law shall be justified.” (Rom. ii, 13) 

2. The motive which induces us to observe the law should be super¬ 
natural and diinne, not merely human and natural. It is not sufficient 


MANNER OF OBSERVING THE COMMANDMENTS 349 

to do good, it must be done from a supernatural motive and with a pure 
intention. 

“They that have kept just things justly, shall be justified.” (Wis. 
vi, n) 

Moreover, it must be done in a state of grace. 

“He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words.” (John xiv, 24) 

3. We must persevere in keeping the commandments. 

“He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. 
x, 22) 

“Much peace have they that love thy law.” (Ps. cxviii, 165) 

“Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is all man.” (Ec- 
cle. xii, 13) 

“They that fear the Lord, keep His commandments.” (Eccli. ii, 21) 
“He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that 
loveth Me.” (John xiv, 21) 

“He that keepeth the law is a wise son.” (Prov. xxviii, 7) 

“He that keepeth the law is blessed.” (Prov. xxix, 18) 

“Give me understanding, and I will learn Thy commandments. . . . 
I will meditate on Thy commandments and I will consider Thy ways, 
... So shall I always keep Thy law for ever and ever.” (Ps. cxviii). 

73,15.44) 

Divisions 

I 

The commandments of God are not hard. “His commandments are 
not heavy.” 

1. The breaking of them is more troublesome than their observance, 
because of the remorse, bitterness, and uneasiness felt by the soul that 
abandons itself to sin. 

2. The laws of God are not more difficult than those of the world. 
Consider what worldlings suffer: “We have walked through hard 
ways, we wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and of destruction.” 
(Wis. v, 7) 

3. God softens the pain by the unction of grace, which He pours 
into the faithful soul. 

II 

Our obedience to the laws of God and of His Church ought to be: 

1. Submissive, without any murmurs regarding the commandments; 

2. Generous, that is to say, we should obey even when difficulties are 
met with; 

3. General, i. e., extended to all the precepts. 



LXI 


THE FEAR OF GOD 

“Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is all man.” (Eccli. 
xii, 13) 

There is nothing more necessary or beneficial for us than to fill our 
hearts with a holy fear of God and to keep this fear always before our 
eyes. Let us, then, consider : I. The motives which should inspire this 
fear in us; II. The advantages it procures for us; III. The confidence 
which should always accompany it. 


1. MOTIVES 

Our holy religion is a religion of love and charity, but the devotion 
that would wish to banish the fear of God as incompatible with con¬ 
fidence and love, is false and dangerous. 

Three motives, drawn from the infinite perfections of God, should 
fill man’s heart with a holy fear and turn him away from evil. 

1. The grandeur of the majesty of God, which makes the pillars of 
heaven tremble, as the Scripture says, and fills the angels and saints 
with a respectful fear. 

2. The depths of the judgments of God, which are unknown to us; 
we do not know what our eternal lot will be. 

3. The extent of the power of God. 

“Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear: for I am afraid of Thy judg¬ 
ments.” (Ps. cxviii, 120) 

“Be not afraid of them who kill the body. . . . But I will show you 
whom you shall fear. Fear ye Him, who after He hath killed, hath 
power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear Him.” (Luke xii, 4, 

5) 

“Tobias, fearing God more than the king, . . . continued immovable 
in the fear of God.” (Tob. ii, 9, 14) 

“Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt serve Him only.” 
(Deut. vi, 13) 

“The Lord commanded that we should fear the Lord our God, that 
it might be well with us all the days of our life.” ( Ibid ., 24) 

“And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but 

350 


MOTIVES 351 

that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways.” (Deut. x, 

i2 l 

“The pillars of heaven tremble and dread at his beck.” (Job xxvi, 

11) 

“Fear God, and depart from evil.” (Prov. iii, 7) 

“Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the 
Lord.” (Ps. xxxiii, 12) 

“With all thy soul fear the Lord.” (Eccli. vii, 31) 

“How great is he that findeth wisdom and knowledge! but there is 
none above him that feareth the Lord.” (Eccli. xxv, 13) 

“There is none greater than he that feareth the Lord.” {Ibid., x, 27) 
“If I be a master, where is my fear?” (Malach. i, 6) 

“There is one most high Creator Almighty, and a powerful King, 
and greatly to be feared.” (Eccli. i, 8) 

“Who shall not fear Thee, O King of nations?” (Jer. x, 7) 

“O Lord, I have heard Thy hearing and was afraid. . . . God will 
come from the south. . . . His brightness shall be as the light. . . . 
Death shall go before His face; and the devil shall go forth before His 
feet. ... I have heard and my bowels were troubled: my lips trembled 
at the voice.” (Habac. iii, iff.) 

“Fool, do you deny that He whom you call the Lord should be feared, 
since this name is of a power even to be feared? But how can you 
love unless you fear not to love ? Love is due to the Father because of 
religion, and fear because of power.” (Tert.) 

“Let him who does not wish to fear, learn to do so; let him who does 
not wish to be uneasy for eternity, learn to be uneasy for time; blessed 
is the soul of him who fears the Lord.” (S. Aug.) 

“Fear that which is above man, and men will not terrify you: fear 
everlasting death, and you will not trouble yourself about the present 
life.” (S. Aug.) 

“Present fear begets everlasting security. For God is above all, and 
you will not fear men.” (S. Aug.) 

“The fear of men defers the opportunity and the act of sinning; it 
does not, however, change the will, but only holds it in check until it 
has an opportunity.” (S. Lawr. Just.) 

“He who fears not God, but men, easily turns aside from justice. 
His fear can postpone the act of sinning; it cannot take away the will 
to sin.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Just as you amuse yourselves in ignorance before engines of war: 
so God thunders, and you do not rise up, nor fly from the wrath to 

come!” (S. Chrys.) . 

“What is more to be feared than the power you cannot resist, than 
the wisdom from which you cannot be hidden? God could be feared 


352 


THE FEAR OF GOD 


less if He were wanting in one or other of these perfections; but now 
it is absolutely necessary that you should fear Him, to whom there is 
wanting neither an all-seeing eye nor an almighty hand.” (S. Bern.) 

“Come, then, my beloved, from how great a danger mayest thou 
deliver thyself, from how great a fear mayest thou be freed, if thou 
wouldest only be always fearful, and looking for death! Make it thine 
aim so to live now, that in the hour of thy death thou mayest rather 
rejoice than fear.” ( Imit Bk. i, c. 23) 


II. THE ADVANTAGES IT PROCURES FOR US 

1. The fear of God preserves us in innocence by filling us with a hor¬ 
ror and a dread of sin. 

2. It makes us repair the past by a sincere repentance. 

3. It causes us to take precautions for the future; because this fear 
of an avenging God makes us provide against the severity of His 
justice and the punishment due to our sins. The fear of God stops 
the fulfilment of bad desires and sinful thoughts. But it is not limited 
to this: it changes the will itself. For how does sin begin and how 
does it end? 

“They turned away their eyes that they might not look unto heaven, 
nor remember just judgments.” (Dan. xiii, 9) 

“Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place; and they will 
kill me.” (Gen. xx, 11) 

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Ps. xiii, 3) 

“My son, all the days of thy life have God in thy mind; and take heed 
thou never consent to sin.” (Tob. iv, 6) 

“Fear not, my son; we lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have many 
good things if we fear God.” ( Ibid 23) 

“Behold the fear of God, that is wisdom.” (Job xxviii, 28) 

“There was a man simple, and upright, and fearing God, and avoid¬ 
ing evil.” (Job i, 1) 

“He will do the will of them that fear Him; and He will hear their 
prayer and save them.” (Ps. cxliv, 19) 

“Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; he shall delight exceed¬ 
ingly in His commandments.” (Ps. cxi, 1) 

“The mercy of the Lord is from eternity unto eternity unto them that 
fear Him.” (Ps. cii, 17) 

“Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him.” (Ps. 
xxxii, 18) 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. i, 7) 
“The fear of the Lord hateth evil.” (Prov. viii, 13) 


ADVANTAGES IT PROCURES FOR US 


353 


“The fear of the Lord shall prolong days.” (Prov. x, 27) 

“The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life.” (Prov. xiv, 27) 
“The fear of the Lord is the lesson of wisdom.” (Prov. xv, 33) 

“By the fear of the Lord every one declineth from evil.” {Ibid., 27) 
“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great measures 
without content.” {Ibid., 16) 

“He that fears God neglects nothing.” (Eccle. vii, 19) 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Eccli. i, 16) 
“The fear of the Lord driveth out sin.” {Ibid., 27) 

“Stand in justice and in fear.” (Eccli. ii, 1) 

“Give place to the fear of the most High; for the fear of God is all 
wisdom.” (Eccli. xix, 18) 

“The fear of God is their glory.” (Eccli. xxv, 8) 

“The fear of God hath set itself above all things: blessed is the 
man to whom it is given to have the fear of God: he that holdeth it, to 
whom shall he be likened? The fear of God is the beginning of His 
love.” {Ibid., 14-16) 

“With him that feareth the Lord it shall go well in the latter end.” 
(Eccli. i, 13) 

“Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy 
house shall quickly be overthrown.” (Eccli. xxvii, 4) 

“He that feareth the Lord, will do good.” (Eccli. xv, 1) 

“Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, and that walk in his ways.” 
(Ps. cxxvii, 4) 

“He that feareth the Lord, will receive His discipline.” (Eccli. 
xxxii, 18) 

“Our mind will more bravely despise the terrors of temporal things 
the more truly it subjects itself, by fear, to the Author of these things.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“A depraved mind will not be freed from its accustomed vices if it 
is not turned aside by fear.” {Id.) 

“It must be maintained that the soul surrounded by the fear of God 
as by a wall, is strong and to a certain extent invincible.” (S. Cyril) 
“Fear is the foundation of salvation: through fearing we shall be 
on our guard, through being on our guard we shall be saved.” (Tert.) 

“Fear is the guardian of virtue; a simple security against a fall.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“The fear of God is a two-edged sword, cutting off all evil con¬ 
cupiscence.” (S. Ephrem) 

“What man can observe justice unless he fears God?” (S. Aug.) 
“As those whom love guides are better, so are many whom fear cor¬ 
rects.” {Id.) 


354 


THE FEAR OF GOD 


“As it is not easy for him who does not live in fear to lead a good 
life; so, on the other hand, it is impossible for him who lives in fear 
to sin.” (S. Chrys.) 

“It is the fear of God alone which corrects the mind, drives away 
sin, preserves innocence, and gives the opportunity for all good.” 

(Id.) 

“It is one thing to know God, another to fear Him; but it is fear, 
not knowledge, that begets wisdom.” (S. Bern.) 

“The fear of God is the first grace. Without this first grace of 
graces no good can flourish or last.” (Id.) 

III. THE CONFIDENCE WHICH SHOULD ACCOMPANY OUR FEAR OF GOD 

The fear of God should be accompanied by confidence and love. 
But you may ask, how this fear of God and of His terrible judgments 
can be reconciled with the confidence in His infinite goodness with 
which religion inspires us? We have everything to hope for from God; 
but we have much to fear, because of our own weakness and incon¬ 
stancy in virtue. 

The more deeply we study our holy religion, the more we shall 
be convinced that, if we have anything to fear from God, it is only be¬ 
cause we have everything to fear from ourselves. 

Let the just man fear, then, because he may fall and has of himself 
only corruption and weakness as his inheritance. Let the sinner fear, 
because of his own strength he could never either rise up from his 
falls or turn aside the just chastisements he has merited. But let both 
equally abandon themselves to the goodness of God, from which they 
have all things to hope for. 

“Offer up the sacrifice of justice and trust in the Lord.” (Ps. iv, 6) 

“If the Lord had a mind to kill us, He would not have received a 
holocaust and libations at our hands, neither would He have shown us 
all these things, nor have told us the things that are to come.” (Judges 
xiii, 23) 

“In the fear of the Lord is confidence of strength.” (Prov. xiv, 
26) 

“Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long: because thou shalt 
have hope in the latter end.” (Prov. xxiii, 17) 

“The fear of God is the beginning of His love; and the beginning of 
faith is to be fast joined unto it.” (Eccli. xxv, 16) 

“The fear of the Lord shall delight the heart, and shall give joy, and 
gladness, and length of days.” (Eccli. i, 12) 

“He that feareth the Lord shall tremble at nothing, and shall not 
be afraid; for He is his hope.” (Eccli. xxxiv, 16) 


TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY CONFIDENCE 


355 


“The fear of the Lord is like a paradise of blessing.’’ (Eccli. xl, 28) 

“There is nothing better than the fear of God; and there is nothing 
sweeter than to have regard to the commandments of the Lord.” 
(Eccli. xxiii, 37) 

“They that fear the Lord shall find just judgment.” (Eccli. xxxii, 
20) 

“I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me all 
days, and that it may be well with them.” (Jer. xxxii, 39) 

“They that fear Thee shall be great with Thee in all things.” (Judith 
xvi, 19) 

“To whom shall I have respect, but to him that is poor and little, 
and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at My words ?” (Is. lxvi, 2) 

“Perfect charity casteth out fear.” (1 John iv, 18) 

“That love which does not love justice, but fears punishment, is 
servile.” (S. Aug.) 

“When good is done, not through love of justice, but through fear 
of punishment, it is not well done.” (S. Aug.) 

“In as much as God is a good and indulgent Father, so must He 
be feared in His Majesty as our Judge.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Let each one consider, not what another may have suffered, but 
what he himself deserves to suffer. Nor should any one look upon 
himself as safe if his chastisement is postponed for a time; but rather 
let him fear the more whom the justice of God has reserved for 
severer punishment hereafter.” (Id.) 

“Fear is the foundation of faith and hope.” (Id.) 

“I consider, O Lord, that Thou art good, I consider that Thou art 
just; I love Thy goodness, I fear Thy justice; love and fear conduct 
me.” (S. Aug.) 

“When you fear hell, I dare not say: Do not fear; because the 
Lord says: Tear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 
Fear wholly: for there is nothing more to be feared; but after the fear 
of evil learn the love of virtue and a holy fear.’ ” (S. Aug.) 

“Unless man begins to worship God in fear, he cannot attain to love: 
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’ It begins^ there¬ 
fore in chains of iron, and is made perfect in a ring of gold. (S. 

Chrys.) ... , . . . 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of salvation; charity is the 

fulness of the law.” (S. Bern.) 

“A soul endowed with fear and love, as with two arms, grasps, em¬ 
braces, binds, and holds God.” (S. Bern.) „ . 

“With fear and trembling work out your salvation. (Phil. 11, 12) 

“Salvation shall be to them that fear My name.” (Mich, vi, 9) 



356 


THE FEAR OF GOD 


Divisions 

I 

Means of acquiring the fear of God: 

1. The knowledge of our own weakness and of our inconstancy in 
virtue; 

2. The consideration of the presence of God; 

3. Serious meditation on our last end. 

II 

What we have to fear: 

1. We have to fear Him who is above us: a God, an inexorable 
judge, an avenger who is just, sovereign, and all-powerful. 

2. We have to fear that which is beneath us: a hell, an eternity of 
punishments, and an abyss of evils, into which we are in danger of 
being hurled each moment. 

3. We have to fear that which is around us and within us: terrible 
enemies, the world, the devil, the flesh, that unceasingly place our sal¬ 
vation in danger. 


III 

He who fears God has nothing to fear: 

1. During this life, in which he is under the protection of God, who 
defends him and makes all things contribute to his advantage; 

2. At death, since having led an innocent life, he disarms death, the 
only enemy then present that could cause him fear, but which has no 
terrors for him; 

3. After death, he has to expect only rewards from Him whom he 
has faithfully served, and for whom he has always had a filial fear. 

IV 

Both just and sinners have cause to fear. 

1. The just know not for certain: 

i°. Whether they are worthy of love or hatred, whether they are in 
a state of grace or in a state of sin; 

2°. Whether their good works are full enough to merit Heaven; 

3 0 . Whether they will persevere and die in a state of grace. 

2. Sinners know not: 

i°. Whether they have done, or ever will do, true and sincere 
penance; 

2°. Whether they will be of the number of those who shall be 


TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY CONFIDENCE 357 

hardened and abandoned in this life on account of their infidelities, or 
whether they are even now of that number; 

3 0 . Whether they shall not be cast off in the end, no matter from 
what cause. 

This fear should make the just tremble and should fill sinners with 
terror. 


V 

1. Fear of God’s justice must be always united with confidence in 
His mercy, lest we fall into presumption. 

2. We must never separate this confidence from that fear, lest we 
fall into despair. 


LXII 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 

“No one can serve two masters.” (Matth. vi, 24) 

We cannot unite the service of God to that of our passions, nor 
to that of the world: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” 

Unable as we are to satisfy two masters at the same time, what part 
should we take? Should we hesitate? Which is the greater and the 
better of these masters? Is it not the Lord? We must, then, give 
Him the preference. It is to this I wish to exhort you in showing 
you: I. The pressing motives which urge you to serve God; II. How 
you should serve Him. 


1. MOTIVES 

To love, fear, and serve God is the essential duty of man: 

“Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is all man.” 
(Eccle. xii, 13) 

Everything invites us to fulfil this duty: (1) The rights which 
God has over us; (2) our own interests. 

1. The rights which God has over us 
It was not necessary that God should draw us out of nothingness; He 
could have done without us. But having resolved to give us being, He 
could not give it to us for any other end than His own glory. He has 
made all things for Himself; it is, therefore, for Himself that He 
created man. Thus do all creatures in their own language proclaim 
the glory of God. 

“The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament de- 
clareth the work of His hands. Day to day uttereth speech, and night 
to night showeth knowledge.” (Ps. xviii, 1, 2) 

“Ye ministers of His, that do His will.” (Ps. cii, 21) 

“The creature serving Thee, the Creator, is made fierce against the 
unjust for their punishment; and abated its strength for the benefit 
of them that trust in Thee.” (Wis. xvi, 24) 

“For every creature according to its kind, obeying Thy command¬ 
ments.” (Wis. xix, 6) 


358 


MOTIVES FOR SERVING GOD 


359 

“Can it be much to serve Thee, whom every creature is bound to 
serve?” ( Imit Bk. iii, c. io) 

Among all the creatures that are on earth, there is not one that can 
and should serve and give glory to God in as perfect a manner as 
man; because man alone can know the grandeur of this Supreme Be¬ 
ing, who merits all our homage; man alone is capable of loving that 
infinite Goodness, who is unknown to other creatures. 

What, then, is to be thought of the man who fails in this duty? 
Alas! he is an unnatural monster, who strays away from the end for 
which he was created. He is the more guilty in withdrawing himself 
from this obligation, in as much as, to induce him to fulfil it, God has 
placed all other creatures at his service: 

“What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? . . . Thou hast set him 
over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast subjected all things under 
his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields, the 
birds of the air and the fishes of the sea.” (Ps. viii, 5-9) 

“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, 
which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.” (Eph. ii, 10) 

But, alas! man seems to have received the privilege of knowledge and 
liberty only that he might revolt against the Author of his being. 

“Thou hast said: I will not serve.” (Jer. ii, 20) 

Some find their glory in the service of the great ones of this world. 
And yet, what master can be compared to God, who is essentially great 
and mighty? 

“O God, who shall be like unto Thee? . . . Thou alone art the most 
High over all the earth.” (Ps. lxxxii, 2, 19) 

“To serve God is to reign. Let him who loves to reign remain 
firmly subject to the one God, who reigns over all.” (S. Aug.) 

David found more honor in being a servant of God, than in his own 
royal dignity: 

“I am Thy servant.” (Ps. cxviii, 125) 

“And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but 
that thou fear the Lord, thy God, and walk in His ways, and love 
Him, and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy 
soul?” (Deut. x, 12) 

“Fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth and with your whole heart, 
for you have seen the great works which He hath done among you.” 
(1 Kings xii, 24) 

“Thou hast done well with Thy servant, O Lord.” (Ps. cxviii, 65) 

“If the sun, and the moon, and the stars serve God, why do I not 
serve Him? The heavens serve Him, and the earth does not serve 
Him, and unhappy man does not serve Him!” (S. Jerome) 

“You are at the same time a slave and a free man; a slave, because 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 


360 

you have been created; a free man, because you are loved by God; the 
soul over which He alone has dominion is most free.” (S. Aug.) 

“To be a servant of God is of great dignity and merit.” (S. Jerome) 

“There is no dignity greater than that of a servant of Christ.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“For this we were created, that we might be good and serve our 
Creator; when we act against His commands, we act against nature.” 
(S. Paulin.) 

“This service [of God] is not a burden, but an honor; instead of 
stamping the brand of servitude, it blots it out.” (S. Pet. Chrys.) 

“This is the glory of man to persevere and remain in the service 
of God.” (S. Iren.) 

“He is the Creator, you are the creature; you are the servant, He is 
the Lord; He is the potter, you are the vessel which He has shaped; 
all that you are, therefore, you owe to Him from whom you have all, 
especially to Him, the Lord, who has both created you and done well 
to you.” (S. Bern.) 

“A faithful servant pleases you, O man, and you do not wish to 
be faithful to God; do you who have a servant remember that you your¬ 
self have a Master.” (S. Aug. ) 

2. It is our own interest to serve God 

God does not demand our service for His own interest. If He re¬ 
ceives glory from the submission and the services which He requires 
of His creatures, He will not receive it less from the avenging justice 
which He will exercise on those who break His law. 

“Every creature, willing or unwilling, is subject to one God and 
Lord; but we are warned that we must serve God with our whole will, 
since the just man serves freely, but the unjust serves as one bound in 
fetters.” (S. Aug.) 

It is, then, our interest to labor in serving Him. But what ad¬ 
vantages, what happiness do we find in the service of God? 

i°. The most solid happiness in this life; 2°. eternal happiness in the 
next. 


i°. The most solid happiness in this life 
What benefits do we not gain, even in this life, by fidelity in the 
service of God? We experience all the tenderness of a loving Provi¬ 
dence, always careful to provide for our needs. 

“Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, that walk in His ways. 
For thou shalt eat the labors of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall 
be well with thee. . . . Behold thus shall the man be blessed that fear- 
eth the Lord.” (Ps. cxxvii, 1-4) 


MOTIVES FOR SERVING GOD 


36 1 

“Behold the birds of the air, for they do not sow . . . and your 
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than 
they? ... Be not solicitous, therefore, saying: what shall we eat, or 
what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? . . . For your 
Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.” (Matth. vi, 
26) 

It is true that worldly prosperity is not always bestowed on virtue: 
God sometimes even deprives His servants of it, to make them know 
that He reserves for them a more solid and lasting happiness. But 
then, He bestows on them abundant graces, which soften the bitterness 
of the sorrows that come on them; He fills them with an unction, a 
peace, a tranquillity of soul, which surpass all the joys and pleasures of 
this earth, and makes them say: 

“Better is one day in Thy courts above thousands. I have chosen 
to be abject in the house of my God, rather than dwell in the taber¬ 
nacles of sinners.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 11) 

“I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulations.” (2 Cor. 
vii, 4) 

“Thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness.” (Ps. xx, 4) 
“Oh, how great is the multitude of Thy sweetness, O Lord, which 
Thou hast hidden for them that fear Thee.” (Ps. xxx, 20) 

“It is good for me to adhere to my God.” (Ps. lxxii, 28) 

“Take my yoke upon you, . . . and you will find rest for your souls. 
For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” (Matth. xi, 29, 30) 

“And you will find rest for your souls: wonderful novelty! He 
who takes the yoke finds rest.” (S. Basil) 

“Thou hast given gladness in my heart.” (Ps. iv, 7) 

“It is a great happiness to be a servant of God, even though in 
fetters.” (S. Aug.) 

“The tears of penitents are sweeter than the joys of the theatre.” 
(Id.) 

“My tears ran down, and it was well with me.” (Id.) 

2 0 . Eternal happiness in the next life 
In the next life eternal happiness will be our reward for fidelity m 
the service of God here below: a reward the most certain, the most 
abundant, the most lasting. 

A reward the most certain, because of the knowledge which God 
has of our services, and of His fidelity to His promises. This is what 
consoled the Apostle : 

“I suffer, but I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, 
and I am certain that He is able to keep that which I have committed 
to Him, against that day.” (2 Tim. i, 12) 


362 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 


“I have fought a good fight. ... As to the rest, there is laid up 
for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will render 
to me in that day.” (2 Tim. iv, 7, 8) 

A reward the most abundant. It will be nothing less than God 
Himself: 

“I am thy protector and thy reward exceeding great.” (Gen. 
xv, 1) 

“I dispose to you a kingdom.” (Luke xxii, 29) 

And what does God demand of us in order to give us so abundant 
a reward? Nothing that is beyond our strength. Nothing that we 
cannot easily do with the help of the grace which He freely gives us. 
Nothing that does not become sweet and pleasant to those that love Him. 
“His commandments are not heavy.” (1 John v, 3) 

“He that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.” (Rom. xiii, 8) 
“Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law.” (Ibid., 10) 

Can we refuse to purchase it at this price, especially when we re¬ 
member that it is a most lasting reward ? 

“The reward of God continueth for ever.” (Eccli. xviii, 22) 

“If any man minister to Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, 
there also shall My minister be. If any man minister to Me, him will 
My Father honor.” (John xii, 26) 

“Blessed are the servants, whom the Lord when He cometh, shall 
find watching. Amen, I say to you that He will gird Himself, and 
make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them.” 
(Luke xii, 37) 

“Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matth. 
xxv, 21) 

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless 
until it reposes in Thee.” (S. Aug.) 

“O blessed service of God, thou art true freedom! O servitude, ex¬ 
celling all earthly power or command! In thee is real joy, such joy as 
could not be found in the possession of all the kingdoms of this world. 
In the glory of sovereignty there is no such thing as real joy or happi¬ 
ness.” (Cassiod.) 


II. HOW WE MUST SERVE GOD 

To serve God as He deserves to be served, is not only to give Him a 
worship of religion, by which we acknowledge His supreme dominion 
over all creatures. That is the adoration which is due to Him, but it is 
not enough; we must also serve Him: “The Lord thy God thou shalt 
adore, and Him only shalt thou serve.” (Matth. iv, 10). To serve 
God, then, is something more than to adore Him: it is to devote our¬ 
selves wholly to Him, to prefer Him to all else, to fulfil His holy will 


MOTIVES FOR SERVING GOD 


363 

in all things. 1. We must give our whole service to God: ‘‘Him 
only shalt thou serve”; 2. We must serve Him with joy and fervor: 
“Serve the Lord with gladness.” (Ps. xcix, 2) 


I. We must give our whole service to God 

God wishes for an undivided service, and justly so. He is the only 
sovereign who has the right to demand our whole service. He cannot 
suffer any rival to share with Him the glory that is due to Him alone. 
It would then be doing an injury to Him to rob Him of any portion 
of that glory. If you choose the service of the God of Heaven, you 
must renounce the service of the world, of the devil, and of your pas¬ 
sions. In vain will you present sacrifices to God with one hand, if 
with the other you offer incense to Baal. 

“For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fel¬ 
lowship hath light with darkness ? And what concord hath Christ with 
Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?” (2 
Cor. vi, 14, 15) 

“Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him only: to Him 
thou shalt adhere.” (Deut. x, 20) 

“If I be a Father, where is My honor? and if I be a Master, where 
is My fear, saith the Lord.” (Mai. i, 6) 

“Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to 
God the things that are God’s.” (Matth. xxii, 21) 

“He that is not with Me, is against Me; and he that gathereth not 
with Me, scattereth.” (Luke xi, 23) 

Why, then, deliberate so much on the part which you should take ? 
“How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, 
follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (3 Kings xviii, 21) 

“Fear the Lord, and serve Him with a perfect and most sincere heart. 

. But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice; 
choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve. 

. And the people answered, and said: God forbid that we should 
leave the Lord, and serve strange Gods.” (Jos. xxiv, 14-16) 

“I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the God of heaven.” (Jonas 
i, 9) 

“The soul that serves God governs the body in the right way; and 
hence reason subject to God Himself rules virtuously over lust and other 
vices. When man does not serve God, the mind cannot have proper 
command over the body, nor can human reason rule over the pas¬ 
sions.” (S. Aug.) 

“No one can in one and the same thing serve the omnipotent God, 
and be pleasing to His enemies.” (S. Greg.) 


364 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 


“There is nothing that can or should be preferred to Him, because 
He is true God and true Father.” (S. Paulin.) 


2. We must serve God joyfully 

God wishes us to serve Him with joy and fervor. He does not, as 
a rule, demand heroic deeds from us, but He wishes our fervor to 
supply that which our feebleness does not permit us to do. 

“God gives the reward, not to the number and magnitude of the 
works, but to the cheerful intention and most fervent will.” (S. John 
Clim.) 

“It is not the cost of the offerings that pleases God, but the love 
with which they are offered.” (Salvian) 

He loves those who serve Him with joy. 

“Not with sadness, or of necessity: For God loveth a cheerful 
giver.” (2 Cor. ix, 7) 

To serve God with joy and fervor is to walk with gladness in the 
way of His commandments, to exercise ourselves in good works, to 
surmount with courage the difficulties we encounter in the path of 
virtue, to be assiduous in prayer, to frequent the Sacraments, to be 
always resigned, submissive to the holy will of God,—in a word, to 
have no other intention in all our actions than to please God and do all 
for His honor and glory. 

“Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in 
the earth, a simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding 
evil?” (Job i, 8) 

“Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord 
hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season?” (Matth. 
xxiv, 45) 

“That servant is faithful who preserves an inextinguishable fervor, 
who each day until the end of his life, never ceases to add fire to fire, 
fervor to fervor, desire to desire, and endeavor to endeavor.” (S. 
John Clim.) 

“I have run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou didst en¬ 
large my heart.” (Ps. cxviii, 32) 

“The path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forward and in- 
creaseth even to perfect day.” (Prov. iv, 18) 

“In all thy works be quick.” (Eccli. xxxi, 27) 

“In all thy works keep the pre-eminence.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 23) 

“Hast thou seen a man swift in his work? he shall stand before 
kings.” (Prov. xxii, 29) 

“In carefulness not slothful; in spirit fervent; serving the Lord.” 
(Rom. xii, 11) 


MOTIVES FOR SERVING GOD 365 

“I consider fervor to be an ardent, firm, constant desire of pleas¬ 
ing God in all things.” (S. Basil) 

“The more the soul loves God, the more quickly does it run to and 
the sooner will it reach Him, and advancing towards God, such a lov¬ 
ing soul will not be repelled, nay, rather would I say, it will not brook 
delay.” (S. Bern.) 

“Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long time.” 
(Wis. iv, 13) 

“He completed much time, not indeed by the number of years, but by 
the inextinguishable devotedness of mind in advancing.” (S. Bern.) 

Such is the character of the true and fervent servants of God. Very 
different from those slothful, careless, and lazy servants who serve 
Him only with weariness, who find the yoke of the Lord too heavy, 
who are always complaining of the difficulties they find in His service, 
who fear to do too much and become discouraged at the smallest ob¬ 
stacle that presents itself. If they pray, it is without attention. If 
they frequent the Sacraments, they draw no profit from them. The 
mere mention of penance, fast, mortification, makes them afraid. If 
you are one of those careless and lazy servants, listen and tremble: 

“I would thou wert cold or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, I 
will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth.” (Apoc. iii, 15, 16) 

“Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully.” (Jer. 
xlviii, 10) 

“Cursed is the deceitful man that . . . making a vow, offereth that 
which is feeble to the Lord: for I am a great King, saith the Lord 
of hosts.” (Malach. i, 14) 

“My soul hath slumbered through heaviness.” (Ps. cxviii, 28) 

“How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou rise out of 
thy sleep?” (Prov. vi, 9) 

“Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer 
hunger.” (Prov. xix, 15) 

“The unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. 
(Matth. xxv, 30) 

“No matter how well we may have lived, no matter what progress 
we may have made, let no one say, it is sufficient for me, I am just, 
where he says, it is sufficient, there he remains fixed.” (S. Aug.) 

“Remember, it is the violent, not the tepid nor the slothful, that bear 
away the kingdom of heaven. (S. Aug.) 

“Fire and tepidity do not abide in the same dwelling-place, espe¬ 
cially since tepidity is accustomed to cause God Himself to vomit.” 

(S. Bern.) . . , . , . 

“Let us, therefore, cast off this pernicious tepidity, which is accus¬ 
tomed to make God vomit.” (Id.) 


366 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 


“The Lord cares not for the tepid; He watches over the perfect. ,, 
(S. Ambr.) 

“When we lead careless, tepid lives, it is said that God does not 
watch over us.” (S. Basil) 

“Doth the seat of iniquity stick to thee, who framest labor in com¬ 
mandment?” (Ps. xciii, 20) 

“Why do you frame labor in commandment? Is not the labor in 
commandment feigned? is not the burden light, the yoke sweet, the 
cross anointed?” (S. Bern.) 

“Our fervor and progress ought to be every day greater; but now it is 
esteemed a great matter if a man can retain some part of his first 
fervor.” ( Imit., B. i, c. 3) 

“I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first 
charity.” (Apoc. ii, 4) 

“If thou givest thyself to fervor, thou shalt find great peace, and 
shalt feel less labor. {Imit., B. i, c. 25) 

“Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep.” (Rom. xiii, 11) 

“For the charity of Christ presseth us.” (2 Cor. v, 14) 

“In doing good let us not fail.” (Gal. vi, 9) 

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. v, 16) 

“That we may serve Him without fear, in holiness and justice be¬ 
fore Him, all our days.” (Luke i, 74, 75) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Why we are obliged to serve God. 

Men may be induced by indifferent motives to serve those with whom 
they live in this life. With some, it is the glory they gain in serving 
the great ones of the world; with others, it is the personal interest they 
find in such service; children serve their parents through gratitude; 
friends render service to friends because of the joy and pleasure they 
find in the bonds of friendship; finally, there are some who serve 
through necessity and in order to fulfil the duties of their state. But all 
these motives should induce us to serve God. 

i°. There is nothing greater or more glorious than the service of 
God. 

2°. There is nothing more just and indispensable. 

3 0 . There is nothing more full of true pleasure and profit. 

2. We must serve God only. 

What does it mean to serve God only ? It means: 



MOTIVES FOR SERVING GOD 


367 


1. to do nothing against Him; 

2. to serve Him in preference to all else; 

3. to serve our neighbor for God's sake, because He wishes it and as 
He wishes it. 


II 

1. We ought to serve God faithfully, 

i°. Because at Baptism we renounced the devil, his works, and his 
pomps, in order to attach ourselves entirely to the service of God; 

2 0 . because we were created and placed in this world to serve Him; 

3 0 . because our whole happiness consists in loving and serving Him. 

2. To serve Him well, we must 

i°. observe His commandments exactly; 

2 0 . refer all our actions to His glory, and have in view no other 
object than to work for Him; 

3 0 . have a sincere intention never to offend Him nor to quit His 
service. 

III 

We ought to serve God because He is the best of all masters . 

1. He is an indulgent master, who commands us to do nothing that is 
above our strength, nothing that is harsh or too difficult; who considers 
the affections and the will more than the greatness and number of the 
deeds. (What do not men have to suffer from worldly masters!) 

2. He is a Master full of kindness and goodness, who alleviates all 
our pains by the unction of his grace, who has been able to assure us 
in all truth that “His yoke is sweet and His burden light." 

3. He is a generous Master, who keeps an account of all our serv¬ 
ices, and does not await another life to reward us for them, but re¬ 
compenses us abundantly even in this life by the consolation and joy 
He makes us feel in the fulfilment of our duties. 

IV 

1. The grandeur of this divine Master requires us to serve Him as 
fervently as possible. 

2. The magnificence of the reward which we expect deserves that we 
should employ both body and soul in serving Him and spare nothing in 
His service. 

3. The advantages which fervor procures for us should urge us to 
become fervent: 

i°. It makes smooth the road to Heaven, which is sometimes repre¬ 
sented as rough and difficult; 


368 


THE SERVICE OF GOD 


2°. it causes us to advance more and more in the way of perfection; 

3°. it makes us to persevere in the service of God. 

V 

Sad effects of tepidity. 

1. It inflicts injury on God. 

As the dignity and grandeur of the master whom one serves, con¬ 
stitute the glory of those who have the honor of being in his service, 
so a lazy and careless manner in serving him dishonors him and shows 
that his servants have little fear or esteem for him. Thus God has al¬ 
ways rejected sickly victims which are a figure of tepid souls: “You 
brought in of rapine the lame, and the sick, and brought in an offering: 
shall I accept it at your hands?” (Malach. i, 13) 

2. Tepidity is full of danger for us. 

i°. Because, being languid, we are not in a good state to resist our 
enemies; 

2 0 . Because God withdraws Himself from us in proportion as we 
withdraw ourselves from Him; He withholds His graces from us, and 
at last vomits us forth from His mouth. 

3 0 . Because from languor we pass to drowsiness, to that insensibility 
that soon leads to death. 

3. The state of tepidity is injurious to our neighbor, who is easily 
persuaded by the example of tepid people that he need not be exact in 
observing the laws of morality, nor in fulfilling his obligations, nor so 
attached to the service of God; as if God required nothing more of us 
than that we should not openly violate His commandments. It is thus 
that little by little people relax their efforts to advance in virtue, fall 
into tepidity, forget that to belong to God only half is, so to say, not 
to be His at all, since “no one can serve two masters.” 


LXIII 


SANCTIFYING GRACE 

“God hath called us by His holy calling, not according to our 
works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given 
us in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. i, 9) 

All the means which God makes use of for our sanctification are 
included under the name of grace. Grace is a supernatural gift which 
God freely bestows on us for our sanctification, in view of the merits 
of Jesus Christ. 

“Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that 
is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. iii, 24) 

“Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John i, 17) 

There are two kinds of grace, habitual or sanctifying grace, and actual 
grace. Consider: I. Sanctifying or habitual grace; its excellence; the 
riches which it procures for man; II. What should be done to preserve 
grace ? 


I. EFFECTS OF SANCTIFYING GRACE 

Sanctifying grace dwells in us, purifies us from sin, and makes us 
just and holy in the sight of God. This grace dwells in the soul of 
the just man as long as he remains free from mortal sin. There is 
nothing in this world that can be compared to the beauty of a soul in 
the state of grace; its beauty is so ravishing, even in the eyes of God 
Himself, that it becomes the object of His love: 

“If any man love Me ... we will come to him, and make our 
abode with Him.” (John xiv, 23) 

“Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.” 
(Cant, iv, 7) 

“My delights were to be with the children of men.” (Prov. viii, 31) 

That soul is a tabernacle in which God dwells. 

“Know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy 
Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God?” (1 Cor. vi, 19) 

Woe to him who would look with contempt on a soul in the state 
of grace, and still greater woe to him who would scandalize it. 

“Jesus, calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them, 

369 


370 


SANCTIFYING GRACE 


and said: . . . He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that 
believe in Me, it were better for him that a mill-stone should be hanged 
about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the 
sea. . . . See that you despise not one of these little ones.” (Matth. 
xviii, 2, 6, io) 

How foolish, then, are those who turn pious people into ridicule. 
Let them compare the happy state of these holy souls with that in 
which they themselves are, separated from God, dreadful to look at, 
condemned to hell. Ah! they will one day cry out: 

“We fools esteemed their life madness,” etc. (Wis. v, 4) 

“God resisteth the proud, but to the humble He giveth grace.” (1 
Pet. v, 5) 

1. Who could understand to what a degree of glory and honor 
sanctifying grace raises the soul that has the happiness to receive it? 
It makes men the friends of God: 

“I will not now call you servants, ... I have called you friends.” 
(John xv, 15) 

It renders them His adopted children:— 

“That we should be called, and should be the sons of God.” (1 
John iii, 1) 

Brethren of Jesus Christ: 

“He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Heb. ii, 11) 

“Go, tell my brethren. ... Go to my brethren.” (Matth. xxviii, 
10; John xx, 17) 

Heirs of God, co-heirs with Jesus Christ: 

“If sons, heirs also: heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ.” (Rom. viii, 17) 

It renders us in some manner participators in the nature and the per¬ 
fections of God: 

“He hath given us most great and precious promises, that by these you 
may be made partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Pet. i, 4) 

“O wonderful condescension of the divine goodness! We are not 
worthy to be called servants, and we are called friends.” (S. Greg.) 

“He pleased God and was beloved, ... for his soul pleased God.” 
(Wis. iv, 10, 14) 

“The Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the 
sons of God.” (Rom. viii, 16) 

“You have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry 
Abba (Father).” (Rom. viii, 15) 

“He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Cor. vi, 17) 

“I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 


ITS EFFECTS 


37 1 


“The divine motherhood would not have done her any good if Mary 
had not borne Christ more fruitfully in the heart than in the flesh.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“This gift exceeds all others, namely, that God should call man son, 
and man should call God, Father.” (S. Leo.) 


2. Sanctifying grace not only enriches the soul with all the gifts that 
constitute holiness: lively faith, firm hope, ardent charity, etc.; it has 
another inestimable advantage also, it sanctifies, perfects, ennobles, 
makes divine in a certain sense, the good works of him who has the 
happiness to possess it. Everything done for God by a soul in the 
state of grace is sanctified by that charity which animates it, and is 
rendered worthy of a reward far surpassing all our ideas. Acts, the 
smallest and most indifferent in themselves,—a glass of water given in 
the name of Christ—will have their due reward. 

“Amen, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Mark ix, 40) 
This is why the Apostle recommends us to perform all our actions in 
a state of grace, and for the love and glory of God. 

“Let all your things be done in charity.” (1 Cor. xvi, 14) 

“Do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. x, 31) 

What treasures one in the state of grace can lay up each day in 
Heaven! 

Sanctifying grace enriches a man with all kinds of treasures. 

“All good things come to me together with her, and innumerable 
riches through her hands.” (Wis. vii, 11) 

“Glory and honor and peace to every one that worketh good.” 
(Rom. ii, 10) 

“Joy to the right of heart.” (Ps. xcvi, 11) 

How happy, how greatly to be desired is the lot of the just! 

“Say to the just man that it is well.” (Is. iii, 10) 

“I found Him [the just man says], whom my soul loveth.” (Cant. 


iii, 4) 

“He that loveth me [Christ says], shall be loved of My Father, and 
I will love him, . . . and We will come to him, and will make Our 
abode with him.” (John xiv, 21, 23) 

Afflicted souls, abandoned by the world ... let sinners glory in their 
riches ... let worldlings call those who possess them happy: 

“They have called the people happy that hath these things; but [in 
reality] happy is that people whose God is the Lord.” (Ps. cxliii, 15) 
“Come and hear, all ye that fear God; and I will tell you what great 
things He hath done for my soul.” (Ps. lxv, 16) 


37 2 


SANCTIFYING GRACE 


“The Lord will give grace and glory.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 12) 

“The wages of sin is death; but the grace of God life everlasting.” 
(Rom. vi, 23) 

“Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according 
to His mercy, He saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renovation 
of the Holy Ghost, whom He hath poured forth upon us abundantly 
through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by His grace, 
we may be heirs, according to hope of life everlasting.” (Tit. iii, 5-7) 
“The grace of God surpasses not only all the stars, and all the heav¬ 
ens, but even all the angels.” (S. Aug.) 

Poor sinners, you who have lost sanctifying grace by mortal sin— 
have you ever clearly understood how great that loss is? 

“If thou didst know the gift of God?” (John iv, 10) 

Return to God and you will see the difference between the just man 
and the sinner. 

“You shall return, and you shall see the difference between the just 
man and the wicked; and between him that serveth God, and him that 
serveth Him not.” (Malach. iii, 18) 

“Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from 
My eyes. ... If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as 
snow.” (Is. i, 16, 18) 

“Behold, I stand at the gate and knock. If any man shall hear My 
voice, and open to Me the door, I will come in to him.” (Apoc. iii, 20) 
“Bring forth quickly the first robe and put it on him.” (Luke xv, 22) 
“Where sin abounded, grace did more abound; that as sin hath 
reigned to death, so also grace might reign by justice unto life ever¬ 
lasting.” (Rom. v, 20, 21) 

“Thou shalt call me, and I will answer Thee.” (Job xiv, 15) 

“To him that thirsteth I will give of the fountain of the water of 
life, freely.” (Apoc. xxi, 6) 

“As the soul is the life of the body, so God is the life of the soul. 
You are not filled with the bowels of charity if you mourn over a 
body from which the soul has departed, and do not mourn over a 
soul from which God has withdrawn.” (S. Aug.) 

“Men would have a great reward from God, if they would do to 
please Him one half of what they do to please the world.” (S. Thom.) 

II. PERSEVERANCE IN GRACE 

If you would persevere in grace, watch and pray, dy from the 
world, avoid light faults, especially those that are deliberate, lead a 
regular life, frequent the Sacraments, practice mortification and penance. 

Besides these there are two other essential counsels, especially for 
you, cherished souls, who possess sanctifying grace: 


PERSEVERANCE 


373 

1. Remember that this grace is a talent which must be made to bear 
fruit: 

“Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required.” 
(Luke xii, 48) 

“When gifts are increased, the account to be given of them also in¬ 
creases.” (S. Greg.) 

Let tepid souls pay attention to this, because, 

“Not to go forward is to fall back.” (S. Bern.) 

“[Therefore] he that is just, let him be justified still, and he that 
is holy, let him be sanctified still.” (Apoc. xxii, 11) 

“Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred.” (Eccle. 
ix, 1) 

“In truth I have learned to know that nothing is so efficacious for 
meriting, preserving, and recovering grace as the virtue of true and 
constant humility.” (S. Bern.) 

“The first effect of the love of God is to lead us to confess our own 
weakness, to acknowledge that whatever good we do, however strong 
we may be, we owe all to Him; that we who glory, may glory in the 
Lord.” (S. Aug.) 

2. Make every effort to preserve this grace. It is the most precious 
of all gifts; but it is easily lost in the midst of so many enemies. 

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” (2 Cor. iv, 7) 
“[However] no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been con¬ 
founded.” (Eccli. ii, 11) 

“If God be for us, who is against us?” ( Rom. viii, 31) 

“Behave like men, and take courage, . . . for there are many more 
with us than with him.” (2 Paral. xxxii, 7) 

“Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evils, for Thou art with me.” (Ps. xxii, 4) 

“The grace of God is a very great security and an impregnable wall.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . For I am 
sure that neither death nor life,” etc. (Rom. viii, 35 ff.) 

“I can do all things in Him who strengthened me.” (Phil, iv, 13) 
“He that hath anointed us in God; who also hath sealed us, and 
given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor. i, 21) 

“By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for 
it is the gift of God.” (Eph. ii, 8) 

“Let us urgently beg for divine grace, because whatever else we ask 
for is nothing, not that it is absolutely nothing, but that in comparison 
with so great a treasure, whatever else we desire is nothing.” (S. 
Aug.) 


374 


SANCTIFYING GRACE 


“O Christian, understand your dignity, and being made a participator 
in the divine nature, do not show by your conduct that you have fallen 
back into your original vileness.” (S. Leo) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Loving kindness of divine grace: 
i°. In waiting for us; 

2°. In taking a favorable time and opportunity for winning us; 

3°. In warning us; 

4°. In asking from us what it wishes to obtain; 

5°. In accommodating itself to our inclinations; 

6°. In not engaging us in anything difficult without making us find 
therein great attraction, and without exciting in us a desire for it in 
spite of our repugnance. 

2. Power of grace: 

Two-fold miracle of the omnipotent power of grace. 

First miracle of grace is the victory which it gains over the intellect; 
Second miracle of grace is the change which it works in the heart. 

II 

Power and effects of grace: 

1. It effaces our sins, however great and numerous they may be; 

2. It bestows infused virtues and restores to us our lost merits; 

3. It gives back to the sinner all the rights he had forfeited, such as 
the right to Heaven, the title of child of God, of temple of the Holy 
Ghost; 

4. It makes our least actions holy, pleasing to God, and meritorious 
for eternal life. 


Ill 

1. Value and price of this grace which is the fruit of the Passion and 
death of Jesus Christ; 

2. Rank to which it raises us: by it we become the friends and the 
children of God; 

3. Right which it gives us to Heaven, as heirs of the kingdom of 
God. 

Sinners should do all in their power to recover grace; the just should 
suffer all things rather than lose it. 



PERSEVERANCE 


375 


IV 

1. Without sanctifying grace we cannot do anything meritorious for 
eternal happiness, however great our works may be. 

2. With grace we merit much, although our works may be few and 
insignificant, because it is grace that gives value to our acts. 


LXIV 


ACTUAL GRACE 

“Behold I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear My 
voice, and open to Me the door, I will come in to him.” (Apoc. iii, 20) 

God desires all men to be saved. But man cannot work out his 
salvation by his own strength. God gives him help. This is called 
actual grace,—actual, because it is not habitual or permanent in us like 
sanctifying grace, but is given for each act, each particular good work. 
I. God gives us different graces to excite us to the love and practice of 
what is good. II. Wonderful effects of these graces. III. Means ap¬ 
pointed by God for bestowing them on us. IV. How necessary this 
help is to us. V. We are free to resist grace, but it is very dangerous to 
do so. 


I. GOD GIVES US DIFFERENT GRACES TO EXCITE US TO THE 
LOVE AND PRACTICE OF WHAT IS GOOD 

God is wonderful in His gifts. He avails Himself of a great number 
of means to induce us to do good: 

1. Interior means. This God of goodness makes Himself felt at first 
inwardly. “In wonderful and secret ways.” (S. Aug.) Holy inspira¬ 
tions . . . lights that enlighten the mind . . . interior movements that 
touch and rouse the soul . . . remorse . . . fear. God acts on us 
by all these means: 

“Because of His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Rom. viii, 11) 

“The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should 
pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself asketh for us with un¬ 
speakable groanings.” {Ibid., 26) 

“Whosoever are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God.” {Ibid., 
14 ) 

“God both inspires in us the beginning of a holy will, and bestows 
strength and opportunity to complete what we have properly begun.” 
(S. Prosper) 

2. Exterior means. The reading of good books, the advice of friends, 
counsel of a confessor, Sacraments, sermons, sickness, death of a rela¬ 
tive, adversity, etc. 

Besides these general means the Holy Ghost has special graces, 

376 


DIFFERENT GRACES 


377 


suitable to the position and character of different persons. He calls 
each one in a manner which He knows to be suitable in order that they 
may obey Him. 

“God calls him on whom He has mercy in the manner which He 
knows to be the most fitting, so that he who is called may not refuse.” 
(S. Aug.) 

Thus David had a good and upright heart; the Lord uses that in¬ 
tegrity to influence him. The prophet shows him his crime under an 
unknown figure. David, following his natural justice, pronounces a 
sentence of condemnation; but all at once the prophet lays bare the 
mystery: “Thou art the man.” (2 Kings xii, 7) 

David is surprised, touched and filled with sorrow; he is converted. 

“To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the 
giving of Christ.” (Eph. iv, 7) 

“The manifold grace of God.” (1 Pet. iv, 10) 


II. WONDERFUL EFFECTS OF THESE GRACES 

They help us to avoid evil and to do good. In reality God is not con¬ 
tent with enlightening us, with showing us the good we should do, and 
urging us to do it; He also helps us to do it; He gives us the desire, the 
will, the strength. He does it in us and with us. 

“It is God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, ac¬ 
cording to His good will.” (Philip, ii, 13) 

“Grace does not work without the co-operation of our will; but when 
we will, it works with us.” (S. Aug.) 

“He helps the unwilling man to will; He keeps close to the willing 
man that he may not will in vain.” (S. Aug.) 

With grace everything that God commands man to do becomes pos¬ 
sible, sweet, and pleasant, whatever difficulties may be encountered. 
S. Augustine before his conversion did not believe it would ever be 
possible for him to practise the holy virtue of chastity; he used to say 
to himself: “Could you live without these ?” He changed his language 
completely after grace had touched him, and he had begun seriously 
to co-operate with it. 

“I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me.” (Philip, iv, 13) 

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in in¬ 
firmity.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

“By the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace in me hath not 
been void.” (1 Cor. xv, 10) 

“Give me strength to do what You command, and command what 
You will.” (S. Aug.) 

And not only does that which God commands become possible and 


378 ACTUAL GRACE 

easy, but so also does that which He counsels, as a vow of chastity, 
poverty, obedience. 

“The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit 
of God.” (i Cor. ii, 14) 

“[But] give me one who loves, and he feels what I say.” (S. Aug.) 

“If we shall have obtained the grace of God, no one shall prevail over 
us, but we shall be more powerful than all.” (S. Chrys.) 

III. MEANS APPOINTED BY GOD FOR BESTOWING GRACES ON US 

These are: prayer and the Sacraments. 

Prayer. “Ask and you shall receive.” (John xvi, 24). It is not 
astonishing that some people have so little strength to practise virtue 
and avoid sin, since they either do not pray at all, or do not pray as 
they should. 

“Hitherto you have not asked anything.” (John xvi, 24) 

“You know not what you ask.” (Matth. xx, 22) 

The Sacraments are the channels by which God causes His grace 
to flow into our souls. By some of them God purifies the soul from 
sin. By others, He brings it to perfection and gives it new strength 
to resist its enemies. Of how many graces, then, do not those 
deprive themselves who do not approach the Sacraments! In the eyes 
of men they lead virtuous lives; they assist at the religious services; 
all that is well: 

“[But] these things you ought to have done, and not to leave those 
undone.” (Matth. xxiii, 23) 

IV. HOW NECESSARY THIS HELP IS TO US 

What should make us more careful and eager to have recourse to 
the means which God has appointed for giving us His grace, is that 
without grace we can neither merit eternal life, nor do any good work 
deserving of Heaven. 

“Without me you can do nothing.” (John xv, 5) 

“Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of our¬ 
selves; but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. iii, 5) 

“No man can say: The Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost.” (1 
Cor. xii, 3) 

“A man cannot receive any thing, unless it be given him from 
heaven.” (John iii, 27) 

“No man can come to Me, except the Father, who hath sent Me, 
draw Him.” (John vi, 44) 

“My soul is as earth without water unto Thee.” (Ps. cxlii, 6) 

Without the help of grace we cannot resist any temptation so as to 
merit Heaven. 


MEANS OF GRACE 


379 


“By Thee I shall be delivered from temptation.” (Ps. xvii, 30) 

“Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matth. xxvi, 41) 

“We cannot fulfil the precepts of justice in every particular unless 
we are helped by God.” (S. Aug.) 

The just should not relax their efforts, but should watch and pray 
without ceasing. 

“He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.” 
(1 Cor. x, 12) 

We cannot, then, do anything without the help of grace. But can 
we at least merit this grace? No. 

“If by grace, it is not now by works; otherwise grace is no more 
grace.” (Rom. xi, 6) 

In order to merit grace, it would be necessary to do first by our 
own strength some good work which would demand that God should 
bestow this gift on us, as an act of justice on His part. But the good 
work which we would do for that purpose is already due to God—and 
if it has been done, it has been only by the help of grace. 

“When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, 
say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought 
to do.” (Luke xvii, 10) 

“What can a man merit before he receives grace ? since no good work 
of ours is meritorious unless we have grace.” (S. Aug.) 

“He [God] hath mercy on whom He will; and whom He will He 
hardeneth.” (Rom. ix, 18) 

“God hath called us by His holy calling, not according to our works, 
but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in 
Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. i, 9) 

Nevertheless we obtain an increase of grace by making good use of 


that which we have already received. 

“Charity merits to be increased, that when increased it may deserve 
to be made perfect.” (S. Aug.) 

“You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains.” 
(Is. xii, 3) 

“All you that thirst come to the waters.” (Is. lv,. 1) 

“Who is so strong as never to give way to temptation if the Lord did 
not help him ?” (S. Aug.) 

“I stand in need of Thy grace and of great grace, to overcome nature, 
which is always prone to evil from her youth.” ( Imit ., B. Ill, c. 55) 


V. WE ARE FREE TO RESIST GRACE, BUT IT IS VERY 
DANGEROUS TO DO SO 

Grace is an interior help by which God prompts and assists us to 
do good. We do this good only in as far as we co-operate with grace. 


380 ACTUAL GRACE 

Our sanctification, therefore, is the work neither of God alone nor of 
man alone. 

“Not I, but the grace of God with me.” (i Cor. xv, io) 

“Not the grace of God alone, nor man alone, but the grace of God 
with man.” (S. Aug.) 

“The life of such a man \i. e., a good man] is not the work of man, 
but of God; nay, rather, of God and man: because of the grace of God 
operating, and the obedience of man co-operating.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who created us without our help, does not make us holy without 
our help.” (S. Aug.) 

“As land does not produce unless it receives rain, and as rain does 
not fructify without the land; so grace does not work anything without 
the will, and the will does nothing without grace.” (S. Chrys.) 

The reason why grace so often remains without effect is that those 
who receive it do not co-operate with it; for grace can be, and too often 
is, resisted. It is an article of faith that however strong and efficacious 
grace may be, it always leaves us at liberty to co-operate with it, or 
refuse to do so. 

“I have called you, and you have not answered.” (Jer. vii, 13) 

“The liberty to believe or not to believe is placed in the will.” (S. 
Cypr.) 

“Free will is sufficient to work evil, although it cannot do any good 
unless assisted by the omnipotent Good.” (S. Aug.) 

“They have been rebellious to the light.” (Job xxiv, 13) 

“If any man . . . shall open to Me the door, I will come in to him.” 
(Apoc. iii, 20) 

“You always resist the Holy Ghost.” (Acts vii, 51) 

And yet there is nothing more dangerous than to resist the grace of 
God. All divine gifts are of priceless value. The smallest grace cost 
the Blood of Jesus Christ. God will compel you to give an exact ac¬ 
count of all: 

“Give an account of thy stewardship.” (Luke xvi, 2) 

“The unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness.” 
(Matth. xxv, 30) 

“Why, then, didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my 
coming I might have exacted it with usury?” (Luke xix, 23) 

Be careful! There is one grace that will be the last one given to you. 

“The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to 
a nation yielding the fruits thereof.” (Matth. xxi, 43) 

A very powerful motive to induce us to follow the movement of 
grace is, that in co-operating with it, we merit eternal life. Our trials 
are light, and yet they procure for us the glory of Heaven: 


NECESSITY OF GRACE 


381 

“That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” 
(2 Cor. iv, 17) 

“Come to Me, all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you.” (Matth. xi, 28) 

“The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the 
glory to come, that shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. viii, 18) 

“If any one shall say that he who is justified by good works does not 
truly merit eternal life, let him be anathema.” (Council of Trent) 

“As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the 
Lord, the just Judge, will render to me.” (2 Tim. iv, 8) 

Every Christian- should believe that of himself he is nothing, has 
nothing, can do nothing, but that with the grace of God he can do all 
things. 

“Not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that 
sheweth mercy.” (Rom. ix, 16) 

But God offers this-grace to all. . . . 

“He will have all men to be saved.” (1 Tim. ii, 4) 

“Christ died for all.” (2 Cor. v, 15) 

“Not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to pen¬ 
ance.” (2 Pet. iii, 9) 

But, alas! all do not wish to correspond to the merciful designs of 
God regarding them. 

“I called, and there was no one that would hear.” (Is. 1 , 2) 

“I called and you refused; I stretched out My hand and there was 
no one that regarded. You have despised all My counsel, and have 
neglected My reprehensions. I also will laugh at your destruction, and 
will mock.” (Prov. i, 24-26) 

“We exhort you, that you receive not the grace of God in vain.” 
(2 Cor. vi, 1) 

“To-day if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” (Ps. 
xciv, 8) 

“Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace; that we 
may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid.” (Hebr. iv, 16) 


Divisions 

I 

We can consider three things in grace: 

1. Its necessity, since without grace we cannot do anything that would 
merit Heaven; 



382 


ACTUAL GRACE 


2. Its being given freely, since, not being due to any one, God gives 
it when and to whom He wishes; He refuses it or withdraws it when 
it pleases Him to do so: we must therefore ask for it earnestly and 
perseveringly; 

3. How short a time it may last. Sometimes it passes away very 
quickly. This is why we should pay attention to it, and profit by the 
favorable moment which, if once allowed to pass unheeded, will per¬ 
haps never return. 


II 

1. We cannot do anything without grace: this is the thought that 
should crush down all feelings of pride and self-esteem, because of the 
good works we do. 

2. Grace cannot do anything without our co-operation. This is what 
condemns our cowardice, since we do so little good, although grace un¬ 
ceasingly urges us to do it; our want of correspondence to grace is the 
cause of its remaining without effect; 

3. We can do all things with the assistance of grace, which will never 
fail us; this thought should urge us on and animate us to under¬ 
take the greatest enterprises for the glory of God. 

III 

1. Measures taken by grace to convert the sinner. 

It predisposes him, and when he thinks least of it, it is waiting for 
a favorable time and opportunity, it enlightens his mind and softens his 
heart. 

2. Measures which the sinner should take to render himself faithful 
to grace: 

He should correspond with it promptly and willingly; he should al¬ 
ways do what grace demands. 


LXV 


THE ABUSE OF GRACE 
“Give an account of thy stewardship:’ (Luke xvi, 2) 

We shall have one day to give an account to God of all the benefits 
we have received from Him,—riches, talents, etc. But the strictest ac¬ 
count we shall have to give will be that of the supernatural benefits, of 
the graces that are given to us in order that we might merit Heaven. 
If we abuse the grace of God we shall be condemned with the utmost 
rigor. Consider: I. What is the crime of him who abuses the grace of 
God? II. What is his misery? 

I. WHAT IS THE CRIME OF HIM WHO ABUSES GRACE 

The more a man needs a thing that is offered to him, the more he is 
to be condemned if he despises it. The more this thing is precious in 
itself and gratuitous on the part of him who offers it, the more deeply 
this last named feels himself offended at the bad use to which it is put. 
From this we can judge how guilty is the soul that abuses the grace of 
God. 

There is nothing more necessary, nothing more precious than grace, 
whether we consider it (1) in itself, or (2) the end for which it is given 
to us, or (3) what it has cost Jesus Christ to merit it for us, and the 
manner in which it is given to us. 

1. Considered in itself, what is grace? 

Ah! “If thou didst know the gift of God.” (John iv, 10) 

2. The end for which it is given to us 

Grace is so necessary for us in order that we may merit Heaven, 
that without it we could not enter that blessed kingdom. 

“Without Me you can do nothing.” (John xv, 5) 

“Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves,” etc. (2 
Cor. iii, 5) 

But grace helps us, enlightens us, strengthens us. 

“It is the characteristic of the grace of God to make known what was 
hidden, and to make agreeable what was unpleasant.” (S. Aug.) 

It is divine grace which produces in us holy inspirations, pious move¬ 
ments, and good desires. This grace converts sinners, enables the just 

383 


3«4 


THE ABUSE OF GRACE 


to persevere, and crowns the saints; nothing of all this could be done 
without it. How great, then, is the guilt of those who resist grace? 

Although Almighty God could dispense altogether with men, yet by 
a pure effect of His love, He wishes to make them happy, and men, 
ungrateful towards God, blind and insensible to their own true interests, 
despise the heavenly gift! “That He might raise up the needy from 
the earth.” (Ps. cxii, 7) ; and this miserable creature does not wish to 
profit by His goodness. The Lord again stretches out His hand to you: 

“Arise from the dead.” (Eph. v, 14) 

“[But, alas!] you always resist the Holy Ghost.” (Acts vii, 51) 

3. What it has cost Jesus Christ to merit grace for us 

Sinners, you do not know what grace cost. You do not know that it 
cost the Blood of the Son of God, that it is the fruit of His passion and 
death! That it is something He does not owe to you, and that it is 
this which makes the abuse of grace still more criminal on your part. 

Of what crime, then, are you guilty when you despise grace, reject it, 
make a bad use of it? You are in a certain sense more guilty than the 
Jews, who crucified Jesus Christ. 

“If in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been 
wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes.” 
(Matth. xi, 21) 

You deserve that God should abandon you to your unhappy lot. And 
yet this God of mercy does not treat you as He might. He still seeks 
you, He offers you His help, He urges you, He entreats you in every 
way: 

“The manifold grace of God.” (1 Pet. iv, 10) 

“The Lord waiteth that He may have mercy on you.” (Is. xxx, 18) 

“How often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen 
doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not.” 
(Matth. xxiii, 37) 

“He who is not grateful for favors received does not deserve others.” 
(S. Bern.) 

II. WHAT IS THE MISERY OF HIM WHO ABUSES GRACE 

As it is the characteristic of grace to enlighten the mind and to touch 
the heart, so, by a contrary effect, the abuse of it causes blindness of 
mind and hardness of heart. 

1. In closing his eyes to the lights of grace, the sinner causes the 
Lord to deprive him of that grace which would enlighten him; hence 
his blindness. This withdrawal of lights and graces is clearly indicated 
in the Holy Scriptures. At one time it is a spiritual poverty in which 


RESISTING GRACE 385 

God leaves the sinner, at another it is a thick darkness which envelops 
his mind and prevents him from seeing the truth. 

“We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed; let us forsake 
her.” (Jer. li, 9) 

“What is there that I ought to do more to My vineyard, that I have 
not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes, 
and it hath brought forth wild grapes? And now I will show you 
what I will do with My vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, 
and it shall be wasted.” (Is. v, 4, 5) 

“Fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.” (Ps. 
lvii, 9) 

“They have been rebellious to the light.” (Job xxiv, 13) 

“I will forsake them, and will hide My face from them [the people] 
(Deut. xxxi, 17) 

“The reason why the grace of God comes or does not come to him, 
may be hidden, but cannot be unjust.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is a most just punishment of sin that a man should lose that of 
which he is unwilling to make good use; and that he who will not 
live a good life when he has the power to do so, should not have the 
power to do it when he has the will.” (S. Aug.) 

“They have beaten me, but I was not sensible of pain; they drew me, 
and I felt not.” (Prov. xxiii, 35) 

That soul, deprived of the grace of God, will become the slave of the 
devil, the plaything of its own passions; it will pursue sinful ways, it 
will fall from abyss to abyss, from the abyss of sin into the abyss of 
hell. Such are the sad effects of the abuse of divine grace. This is 
the evil which Christ represented to us when he wept over Jerusalem. 

“He wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst known, and that in this 
thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from 
thy eyes. For . . . thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee . . . 
because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.” (Luke xix, 
41-44) 

“Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut 
their eyes.” (Is. vi, 10) 

2. In resisting the promptings of grace, the sinner contracts a fatal in¬ 
sensibility that places him in a state in which he can no longer be 
touched; and therefore his heart becomes hardened. It is not that 
the grace necessary for salvation is not given to him. His unhappy 
state is the result not so much of the withdrawal of grace, as of the 
deadly insensibility which he contracts in resisting it. By dint of re¬ 
sisting grace he is no longer touched by anything. 

“The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sin, con- 
temneth.” (Prov. xviii, 3) 


THE ABUSE OF GRACE 


386 

The word of God, good example, the Sacraments,—nothing touches 
him. He, as it were, makes for himself a face of brass, which no longer 
blushes at the most shameful things. These are the hardened Pharaos, 
who would see the miracles of the almighty power of God, without 
being touched by them. 

“I shall harden the heart of Pharao.” (Exod. vii, 3) 

“You have despised all My counsel, and have neglected My reprehen¬ 
sions. I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock.” (Prov. 
i, 25, 26) 

“Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.” (Matth. xxiii, 32) 

“It is proved from the word of God Himself that there is a certain 
limit or measure of sin; and it is clearly shown that each one will be 
judged sooner or later according as he fills up the measure of his sins. 
. . . And we are plainly taught that God bears with each one in the 
hope of his conversion, as long as he has not completed the number of 
his sins.” (S. Aug.) 

“The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodli¬ 
ness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in in¬ 
justice.” (Rom. i, 18) 

“They stopped their ears not to hear. And they made their heart 
as the adamant stone. ... So shall they cry, and I will not hear.” 
(Zach. vii, n-13) 

“Say not: I have sinned and what harm hath befallen me? for the 
Most High is a patient rewarder. Be not without fear about sin for¬ 
given, and add not sin upon sin. And say not: The mercy of the 
Lord is great, He will have mercy on the multitude of my sins. For 
mercy and anger quickly come from Him, and His wrath looketh upon 
sinners. Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from 
day to day. For His wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time 
of vengeance He will destroy thee.” (Eccli. v, 4-9) 

“To-day if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” (Ps. 
xciv, 8) 

“Despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long- 
suffering? Knowest thou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to 
penance?” (Rom. ii, 4) 

“We do exhort you [brethren], that you receive not the grace of God 
in vain.” (2 Cor. vi, 1) 

“Looking diligently lest any man be wanting to the grace of God.” 
(Hebr. xii, 15) 

“Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” (1 Kings iii, 10) 

“Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts ix, 6) 



THE ABUSE OF GRACE 


387 


Divisions 

I 

Man makes use of many stratagems to reject or to abuse the grace 
of God. 

1. He closes His eyes to the light of grace, he offers a formal re¬ 
sistance to it. “They have been rebellious to the light.” (Job 
xxiv, 13) 

2. Or, fearing to break off his attachment to creatures, and in order 
not to be obliged to surrender himself to the lights and the attractions 
of grace, he turns his mind aside and occupies himself with a thou¬ 
sand things that banish holy thoughts. 

3. Or, not being able to hide or to withdraw himself from the lights 
of grace, he endeavors at least to defer his conversion, as S. Augustine 
did: “Soon, soon, and that soon hath no limits.” 

4. Or, finally, because of unworthy motives, he wishes to give him¬ 
self only partly to God, imagining he can follow both God and the 
world, obeying grace in certain things only, and resisting it in others. 

II 

Measure of the graces which God has destined for each one in par¬ 
ticular. 

1. God has destined for each one of us a certain measure of graces, 
which are numbered and fixed; this is to be understood of special 
graces of choice, because He never refuses to any one the grace that is 
absolutely necessary for salvation. 

2. This measure is not known to man, and no one can say whether 
the particular grace he refuses will not be the last that God has re¬ 
solved to give him, after which there will be for him only ordinary 
graces. 

3. This measure is not the same for all; there are some who were 
abandoned after their first refusal of grace, others after the third, etc.; 
what appears more certain is that God usually completes the measure 
only after man has failed to respond to a very great, and what may be 
called a critical grace. 


LXVI 


HOPE 

CONFIDENCE IN GOD 

“In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded.” (Ps. 
xxx, i) 

If there are in religion truths capable of inspiring a just fear, there 
are also those "that should fill us with the greatest confidence. The truth 
of which I am about to speak to you is of this number. I will explain 
to you: I. What hope is and what is its object; II. The grounds on 
which it rests and the obligation it imposes; III. How one sins against 
hope. 


I. WHAT HOPE IS AND WHAT IS ITS OBJECT 

Christian hope is a supernatural virtue, by which we trust, with a 
firm confidence, that God will give us eternal life and the means neces¬ 
sary to obtain it, because He has promised to do so, and is faithful to 
His promise. 

This virtue induces us to trust entirely to God in all our needs, both 
spiritual and temporal. 

i. As to our spiritual needs. We can and should hope for all that 
is necessary to serve God well, with confidence in Him who has said: 

“I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you 
a heart of flesh.” (Ezech. xxxvi, 26) 

This virtue goes farther: it makes hope for Heaven with the same 
confidence with which we expect the graces necessary to obtain it. All 
can hope: 

“Know ye not that no one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been con¬ 
founded. For who hath continued in His commandment, and hath been 
forsaken? or who hath called upon Him, and He despised him?” (Ec- 
cli. ii, 11, 12) 

“Ye that fear the Lord, hope in Him.” (Eccli. ii, 9) 

“The Lord will give grace and glory.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 12) 

We must place our hope in God alone. 

“Where are their gods in whom they trusted? . . . Let them arise 
and help you, and protect you in your distress.” (Deut. xxxii, 37, 38) 

“God is my strong One, in Him will I trust; my shield and the horn 

388 


CONFIDENCE IN GOD 389 

of my salvation; He lifted me up, and is my refuge; my Saviour, Thou 
wilt deliver me from iniquity.” (2 Kings xxii, 3) 

“Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, 
and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” (Jer. xvii, 5) 

“If my hope is in man, my hope will falter when he falters; but if 
I hope in God, I shall never grow weak.” (S. Aug.) 

2. We may and should hope for even all temporal help of which we 
have need, in order to labor efficaciously in saving our souls. 

You employ your strength in gaining a living, but the fear of an ill¬ 
ness frightens you. Continue to work in peace. 

“Trust in the Lord and do good.” (Ps. xxxvi, 3) 

God will provide: 

“Be not solicitous, therefore, saying: What shall we eat? . . . For 
your Father knoweth what is needful for you before you ask Him. 

. . . For your father knoweth that you have need of all these things.” 
(Matth. vi, 31, 8, 32) 

“Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God and His justice, and 
all these things shall be added unto you.” {Ibid., 33) 

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of you.” (1 Pet. 

v, 7 ) 

If God does not always give us what we hope for, let us rest assured 
that He will give us what is much more useful for us. 

“Do you think that anything will be wanting to a Christian, to a 
servant of God, to one devoted to good works? Do you think that 
earthly goods will be refused to him to whom heavenly and divine 
treasures are given? Whence this incredulous thought? What does a 
faithless heart do in the house of God?” (S. Aug.) 

“Because he hoped in Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him be¬ 
cause he hath known My name.” (Ps. xc, 14) 


II. THE GROUNDS OF OUR HOPE ARE THE GOODNESS OF GOD, HIS PROM¬ 
ISES, AND THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST 

1. Our hope is founded on the goodness of God. God is infinitely 
good; He is the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation. 
“His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Ps. cxliv, 9) 

And why should He not be inclined to do good to us? He is our 
Creator. 

“Who ever abandons what He has made?” (S. Ambr.) 

“I have made you [saith the Lord] and I will bear.” (Is. xlvi, 4) 
He is our Father and the best of fathers. 

“There has never been so loving a father.” (Tert.) 

“Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of 


390 


HOPE 


her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.” (Is. 

xlix, 15) 

“He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of My eye.” (Zach. 

ii, 8) 

He is our Redeemer. He says to each one of us: 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed thee.” (Is. xliii, 1) 

Not content with all these expressions so full of tender affection, this 
God of goodness wished also to show by parables His tender affection 
towards us—the parable of the Good Shepherd, of the Prodigal Son; 
and should we not hope! 

“In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do 
against me.” (Ps. lv, 5) 

“My soul trusteth in Thee.” (Ps. lvi, 1) 

“Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him.” (Job xiii, 15) 
“The Lord is good to them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh 
Him.” (Lament, iii, 25) 

2. Our hope is founded on the promises of God. He is faithful in 
fulfilling them. 

“He [God] is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse 
us from all iniquity.” (1 John i, 9) 

“The Lord is faithful in all His words.” (Ps. cxliv, 13) 

“An oath . . . wherein God, meaning more abundantly to shew to 
the heirs of the promise the immutability of His counsel, interposed an 
oath: that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God 
to lie, we may have the strongest comfort, who have fled for refuge to 
hold fast the hope set before us.” (Hebr. vi, 16-18) 

“[Therefore] Abraham against hope believed in hope.” (Rom. 
iv, 18) 

“Let them trust in Thee who know Thy name; for Thou hast not 
forsaken them that seek Thee, O Lord.” (Ps. ix, 11) 

“Let no one doubt the promises of truth; let a man be what he ought 
to be, and immediately all things will be given to him on whose ac¬ 
count all things were made.” (S. Jerome) 

3. Finally , our hope is founded on the infinite merits of Jesus Christ. 
He applies them to us. They are in a certain sense ours; we must merit 
a reward in order to have it; but we cannot of ourselves merit infinite 
glory. No, 

“[But] I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 

iv, 13) 

“Let us go, therefore, with confidence to the throne of grace, that we 
may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid.” (Hebr. iv, 16) 


SIN AGAINST HOPE 391 


“Thy life shall be saved for thee because thou hast put thy trust in 
Me.” (Jer. xxxix, 18) 

“Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is 
like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. 
Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the 
Lord.” (Jas. i, 6, 7) 

Hope gives us courage and strength: 

“He [Moses] looked unto the reward.” (Hebr. xi, 26) 

If you wish not to dread the labor, consider the reward. 

“I consider three things in which all my hope consists: the love of 
adoption, the truth of the promise, and the power of the Giver.” (S. 
Bern.) 

Hope is not only advantageous to us, it is absolutely necessary. 

“Turn thou to thy God . . . and hope in thy God always.” (Os. 
xii, 6) 

“Charge . . . not to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the 
living God.” (1 Tim. vi, 17) 

We are not, it is true, bound to make acts of hope every moment; but 
we are specially bound to do so in the following circumstances: 

i°. On attaining the use of reason; 

2°. When tempted to despair in adversity and tribulation. 

“We glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God. And not 
only so, but we glory also in tribulations; knowing that tribulation 
worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope; and hope con- 
foundeth not.” (Rom. v, 2-5) 

3 0 . When we ask some favor from God: 

“Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him 
that hopeth in the Lord.” (Ps. xxxi, 10) 

“This is the confidence which we have towards Him, that whatsoever 
we shall ask according to His will, He heareth us.” (1 John v, 14) 

4 0 . When in danger of death: 

“We have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us, which 
we have as an anchor of the soul sure and firm, and which entereth 
in even within the veil [heavenly happiness].” (Hebr. vi, 18, 19) 


HI. ONE SINS AGAINST HOPE, (i) BY DESPAIR, (2) BY PRESUMPTION 

1. By despair. We sin by want of hope when we so far fail in it 
as to despair of our salvation, like Cain: 

“My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon.” (Gen. 
iv, 13), or 

[Like Judas] who “hanged himself with an halter.” (Matth. 
xxvii, 5) 

Behold despair and its effects: it leads to eternal reprobation. 


392 


HOPE 


We also sin by want of hope when we despair of overcoming our bad 
habits. We must say with the Apostle: “I can do all things in Him 
who strengtheneth me.” (Phil, iv, 13). Or when our confidence in 
God fails, when we are afraid of not having what is necessary, when 
we entirely lose courage in our adversity and troubles. 

‘‘If thou lose hope being weary in the day of distress, thy strength 
shall be diminished.” (Prov. xxiv, 10) 

“Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow.” (Matth. vi, 34) 

“Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” (Ps. 
liv, 23) 

“Be nothing solicitous: but in everything by prayer and supplication 
with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God.” (Philip, 
iv, 6) 

2. This confidence should not, however, degenerate into presumption. 
Those sin by presumption who think they are strong enough of them¬ 
selves to resist temptations and the occasions of sin; who in temporal 
matters place their whole confidence in their industry or riches, and 
make no account of God’s providence, who rely on the mercy of God in 
order to commit sin or to defer their conversion. 

“He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

Presumption often leads to impenitence and damnation. 

“Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day 
to day [presuming on the mercy of God]. For His wrath shall come 
on a sudden and in the time of vengeance He will destroy thee.” 
(Eccli. v, 8, 9) 

“Let all our hope be in God, and let us not presume that we ourselves 
of our own strength can do anything, not even doing of ourselves that 
which is from Him, lest we lose what we have.” (S. Aug.) 

“In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest, for Thou, O 
Lord, hast singularly settled me in hope.” (Ps. iv, 9, 10) 

“It is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the 
Lord God.” (Ps. lxxii, 28) 

“The Lord is my firmament and my refuge.” (Ps. xvii, 3) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Object of Christian hope: 

i°. Riches which we can receive from God. 

2°. Deliverance from evils that may afflict us. 

2. Characteristics and conditions of hope: 

1°. It should be firm, enduring, unchangeable. 

2°. It should induce man to place all his confidence in God, without, 



SIN AGAINST HOPE 393 

however, causing him to neglect doing what he himself can do. This 
would be to tempt God. 

3°. It should cause him to rejoice when he sees himself abandoned 
by creatures, and to be more determined to trust to the almighty power 
of God. This is the perfection of hope. To attain to this perfection 
we must remember: 

a) that we cannot do anything of ourselves; 

b) that we can do all things with the grace of God. 

II 

1. Grounds for hoping in God and placing our whole confidence in 
Him. 

i°. His goodness and the love He has shown towards all, even His 
greatest enemies; 

2°. His fidelity to His promises; 

3°. Our own experience: have we not often felt His assistance? 

2. Qualities of confidence. 

i °. Our confidence should be entire, with regard to both spiritual and 
temporal blessings; 

2°. It should be prompt, that is to say, we should have recourse to 
God in the first place; 

3°. It should be unchangeable, so that if we are not heard at once, 
we must hope “against all hope.” 

Ill 

1. Necessity under which we are of placing all our hope in God, in 
whatever state of life we may be. 

i°. Everything should excite us to this hope: 

a) God wishes us to hope in Him; 

b) God bestows an abundant reward on those who confide in Him; 

c) God is honored by hope, because by it we acknowledge that all 
comes from Him, that we expect everything from His goodness, and 
that He will not fail in His promises. 

2°. Nothing should be able to shake our hope, neither the multitude 
of our sins, nor the power of our enemies, nor our great misery; be¬ 
cause the goodness of God is infinite, and the merits of our Saviour 
are unlimited. 

2. Qualities of Christian hope. 

i°. It should be firm and immovable; 

2°. Universal. 

3. Grounds of hope. 

1. The fidelity of God in keeping His promises; 

2. His infinite power. 


LXVII 


PRAYER 

ITS ADVANTAGES AND CONDITIONS 

“If you ask the Father anything in My name He will give it you.” 

(John xvi, 23) 

“Lord, teach us to pray/’ (Luke xi, 1) 

“How does it happen that we are always so poor, so feeble, over¬ 
whelmed by so much misery, in spite of the promise Christ made to 
us: “He will give it you” ? Ah! it is because we either do not pray, or 
our prayers are not accompanied by the conditions which would make 
them pleasing to God. “He who knows how to pray well, knows how 
to live well.” (S. Aug.) In order to teach you how to live well I 
am going to show you how to pray well. I will show: I. To those 
who do not pray, the necessity and advantages of prayer; II. To those 
who pray badly, the conditions required for prayer. 

I. NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGES OF PRAYER 

(I) God wishes us to pray to Him, and has expressly commanded us 
to do so; and (2) even though He had not given such a command, 
our own interest urges us to pray to Him. 

1. God wishes us to pray to Him 

It is in praying to Him that we acknowledge God to be the Author 
of all good and declare our dependence on Him. 

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock, and 
it shall be opened to you.” (Luke xi, 9) 

He goes farther and adds that we should pray always. 

“We ought always to pray and not to faint.” (Luke xviii, 1) 

To pray always it is not necessary that we should be constantly 
speaking to God. It is sufficient that we have our hearts and souls 
habitually raised up to Him, that we refer all our actions to Him. 

However poor and weak we may be, God will listen favorably to 
our prayers. 

“I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes.” (Gen. 
xviii, 27) 

“Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath gods so nigh 

394 


NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGES 


395 


them, as our God is present to all our petitions.” (Deut. iv, 7) 

And he grants this honor of conversing with Him not only to the 
saints or to the just, but to all, at all times and in all places! 

“Let nothing hinder thee from praying always.” (Eccli. xviii, 22) 

“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be ac¬ 
counted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand 
before the Son of Man.” (Luke xxi, 36) 

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. v, 17) 

“Be instant in prayer; watching in it with thanksgiving.” (Coloss, 
iv, 2) 

“Let us not fear to offend by importunity, for this importunity is 
pleasing to God.” (S. Jerome) 

“Prayer is necessary every day and at every moment of the day.” 
(Tert.) 

“I will, therefore, that men pray in every place.” (1 Tim. ii, 8) 


2. Our own interest urges us to pray 

God wishes to save all men; but no one can be saved without divine 
grace. Of ourselves we are only darkness and misery. 

“Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of our¬ 
selves; but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. iii, 5) 

Hence the necessity of grace. But God usually gives grace only 
in answer to prayer. As long as grace is necessary for salvation, so 
long will prayer be necessary to obtain the grace of salvation. 

Ah! if we but knew our own poverty, there would be no need to 
prove to us the necessity of prayer. To what miseries are we not sub¬ 
ject? Our fatal propensity to evil, the sinful occasions, the perils by 
which we are surrounded—is anything further necessary to make 
known to us how much we need the help of God? 

“God does not command impossibilities; but in commanding He ad¬ 
monishes you to do what you can, and to seek for help in that which 
you cannot do, and He assists you to do it.” (S. Aug.) 

There is no good which we cannot obtain by prayer. Have recourse 
to prayer, then, whoever you may be, just or sinner. If you are in sin, 
prayer is absolutely necessary for you in order that you may come forth 
from the sad state in which you are. The graces of God are not due 
to you, especially those powerful graces that suddenly change the 
affections of the heart and give you the victory over the enemies of 
your salvation. Through pure liberality God gives you the grace of 
prayer; make use of that grace to demand and obtain all the others. 
This means of salvation is within your reach, whatever your occupation 
may be. 


396 


PRAYER 


“Seven times a day I have given praise to Thee.” (Ps. cxviii, 164) 

Pray, then, with a truly penitent heart, a heart contrite and humble. 
Do not place any obstacle in the way of grace by your obstinacy in evil. 

“[For] we know that God doth not hear sinners; but if a man be 
a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth.” (John ix, 31) 

“If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear 
me.” (Ps. lxv, 18) 

“Then shall they call upon Me and I will not hear; they shall rise 
in the morning and shall not find Me; because they have hated instruc¬ 
tion and received not the fear of the Lord.” (Prov. i, 28, 29) 

“Petition made to God is a great gain, and he who begs from God[ 
receives while he begs; for to beg is the same as to receive [it is the 
first grace].” (S. Ambr.) 

“We believe that no one can save his soul unless he is called by God, 
that no one called works out his salvation unless God helps him, that 
only he who prays merits this help.” (S. Aug.) 

“Do you wish that God should hear you in your prayers when you 
do not hear Him in his precepts?” (S. Greg.) 

“He who remains in sin when he prays, does not beg from God, but 
mocks Him.” (S. Chrys.) 

If you are free from sin, prayer is necessary for you to enable you 
to persevere in the friendship of God. You carry grace in a fragile 
vessel, which may be broken at any moment. You have battles to 
fight, dangers to overcome. 

“Combats without, fears within.” (2 Cor. vii, 5) 

What, then, must you do? You must pray to God: 

“Lord, save us, we perish.” (Matth. viii, 25) 

“[Then] He who hath begun a good work in vou, will perfect it.” 
(Phil, i, 6) 

Who are they that lead the most regular lives ? They are those who 
pray often, and who pray as they should. How do those live who do 
not pray? 

“I think it is clear to all that it is simply impossible to spend our time 
and pass through this life virtuously without the help of prayer.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

Pray, then. You note each day the hour for sleep, the time for 
meals, etc.; why do you not fix a time for prayer also ? 

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the just; and His ears unto their 
prayers.” (Ps. xxxiii, 16) 

“The prayer of the just man is the key of Heaven; prayer ascends 
and the mercy of God descends.” (S. Aug.) 

“God gives certain things, such as the beginning of faith, to those 


NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGES 


39 7 

who do not pray; other things, such as final perseverance, He gives 
only to those who pray.” (Id.) 

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what¬ 
ever you will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John xv, 7) 

II. CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFICACIOUS PRAYER 

If there are many who do not pray at all, there is a much greater 
number who pray badly. 

“You ask and you receive not, because you ask amiss.” (Jas. iv, 3) 

“We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit 
Himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.” (Rom. viii, 26) 

“Hitherto you have not asked anything in My name.” (John 
xvi, 24) 

(1) We should pray in the name of Jesus Christ, that is to say, we 
should ask for things worthy of that all-saving name; 

(2) We should pray with the requisite dispositions, namely, atten¬ 
tion, confidence, humility, and perseverance. 

1. In order to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, we must ask for those 
things that have reference to the glory of God and our own 
salvation 

Thus, sinners, you will pray in the name of Jesus Christ when 
you ask for the grace of conversion. Just souls, when you ask for 
perseverance in grace, all that He has taught you to ask for is in 
the Lord’s prayer. You may ask for temporal favors, but only in as 
far as these will help you in the work of salvation. 

“In those temporal matters, brethren, we warn and exhort you in the 
Lord not to ask for anything absolutely, but only as far as God knows 
it to be expedient for you.” (S. Aug.) 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice.” (Luke xii, 31) 

Do those who ask for things that are opposed to the will of Jesus 
Christ, pray in His name? 

“He that turneth away his ears from hearing the law, his prayer shall 
be an abomination.” (Prov. xxviii, 9) 

“There is no other name under Heaven given to men, whereby we 
must be saved.” (Acts iv, 12) 

“By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise always to God, 
that is to say, the fruit of lips confessing to His name.” (Heb. xiii, 15) 

“Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, to God and the Father.” (Eph. v, 20) 

“Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries 
of life. Lest, . . . being compelled by poverty, I should steal.” 
(Prov. xxx, 8, 9) 


PRAYER 


398 

“Anything asked for that militates against our salvation is not asked 
for in the name of the Saviour.” (S. Aug.) 

“He is a Saviour, not only when He gives us what we ask for, but 
even when He does not give it; for when He sees that what is de¬ 
manded is opposed to our salvation, He shows Himself a Saviour rather 
in not giving it.” (Id.) 

2. We should pray with the requisite dispositions 

i°. With attention. Prayer is an elevation of the soul to God. 
Without attention, prayer is like a body without a soul. But, alas 
how do many pray? 

“This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from 
Me.” (Matth. xv, 8) 

As regards distractions, when they are involuntary and when care is 
taken to avoid them, they become occasions of merit. To avoid them, 
or to render them involuntary, we must prepare our souls for prayer 
by placing ourselves in the presence of God, and keeping ourselves 
recollected. 

“Before prayer prepare thy soul.” (Eccli. xviii, 23) 

“I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the understanding.” 
(1 Cor. xiv, 15) 

“God is a spirit, and they that adore Him, must adore Him in spirit 
and in truth.” (John iv, 24) 

“Therefore, whether we pray to God in words when necessary, or in 
silence, we must cry out in our hearts.” (S. Aug.) 

“Do you wish to speak with God? Pay attention. If you wish 
to be heard, do you yourself first understand what you desire to say; 
be not in a hurry, lest you pray in vain.” (S. Ephrem.) 

“I do a great injury to God when I beseech Him to hear my prayer, 
which I, who pour it forth, do not hear.” (S. Bern.) 

“If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is 
without fruit.” (1 Cor. xiv, 14) 

2°. With confidence. What should excite this confidence in us, is 
the goodness and power of God, and His fidelity to His promises. 

“If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you.” 
(John xvi, 23) 

“Whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive.” 
(Mark xi, 24) 

“[For God] will do the will of them that fear Him, and He will hear 
their prayer.” (Ps. cxliv, 19) 

In order to strengthen our confidence, let us remember that our 
prayers are supported by the intercession of Jesus Christ, who prays 


THE REQUISITE DISPOSITIONS 399 

with us and for us, and who offers His merits to the Father on our 
behalf.” 

“Always living to make intercession for us.” (Heb. vii, 25) 

“He was heard for His reverence.” (Heb. v, 7) 

“Christ Jesus, . . . who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh 
intercession for us.” (Rom. viii, 34) 

“There is one Mediator of God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 
(1 Tim. ii, 5) 

“By Him we have access both in one spirit to the Father.” (Eph. 
ii, 18) 

“He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and 
carried about by the wind. Therefore, let not that man think that he 
shall receive anything of the Lord.” (Jas. i, 6, 7) 

“If our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards God; 
and whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of Him.” (1 John, iii, 
21, 22) 

“This is the confidence which we have towards Him: That, what¬ 
soever we shall ask according to His will, He heareth us.” (1 John' 

v, 14) 

3 0 . With humility. 

The Lord has not promised anything to rebellious and obstinate 
sinners; He has promised to those only who pray to Him with a contrite 
and humble heart. 

“He [God] hath had regard to the prayer of the humble, and He 
hath not despised their petition.” (Ps. ci, 18) 

God rejected the prayer of Antiochus because of his wickedness of 
heart. 

“This wicked man prayed to the Lord, of whom he was not to ob¬ 
tain mercy.” (2 Mach, ix, 13) 

He rejected the prayer of the Pharisee, whose heart was filled with 
pride. On the other hand, He was pleased with that of the Publican, 
because it came from a humble heart. 

“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke xviii, 13) 

“This man went down into his house justified rather than the other.” 
(I hid., 14) 

“God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (Jas. 
iv, 6) 

“The prayer of the humble and the weak hath always pleased Thee.” 
(Judith ix, 16) 

“A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 

1,19) 

“The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds, 


400 


PRAYER 


. . . and he will not depart until the Most High behold. ,, (Eccli. 
xxxv, 21) 

“The prayer that is persevering and humble and fervent will un¬ 
doubtedly penetrate Heaven, whence it is certain it cannot return un¬ 
heard.” (S. Bern.) 

“Humility makes prayer pleasing.” (S. Ambr.) 

“To whom shall I have respect, but to him that is poor and little, 
and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at My words.” (Is. 
Ixv, 2) 

4 0 . With perseverance. 

God wishes us, as it were, to do violence to Him. If He granted 
at once what we ask for, we would cease praying. Moreover, we lose 
nothing by this delay. If He does not hear us at one time, He hears 
us at another. Example: the woman of Canaan. 

“She cried out saying: Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of 
David; my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil. [Jesus] 
answered her not a word. . . . But she came and adored Him, 
saying: Lord, help me. . . . Then Jesus answering said to her: 
O woman, great is thy faith: be it done to thee as thou wilt.” 
(Matth. xv, 22 ff.) 

“Know ye that the Lord will hear your prayers, if you continue with 
perseverance and fastings and prayers in the sight of the Lord.” 
(Judith iv, 11) 

“God wishes to be asked, to be forced, to be overcome by a certain 
importunity; therefore it is said: The kingdom of heaven suffereth 
violence, and the violent bear it away.” (S. Greg.) 

“Fail not in prayer; God will grant what He has promised; and if 
He delays He does not refuse. (S. Aug.) 

“When God sometimes delays granting a thing He makes His gifts 
more pleasing. Desires long deferred are more valued when fulfilled, 
those things that are soon obtained are despised.” (Id.) 

“Some things are not refused, but are deferred to a more suitable 
time.” (Id.) 

“Take care not to fail in prayer; if He to whom you pray, seems not 
to hear you, be vehement and carry violence even into Heaven itself.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“Thou art my Father: how much farther shall I go? What 
more shall I say? What else shall I ask? Thou art my Father.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. Hearken to 
the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. For to Thee will I 


THE REQUISITE DISPOSITIONS 401 

pray: O Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear my voice.” (Ps. v, 

2-4) 

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after: that I 
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Ps. 
xxvi, 4) 


LXVIII 


PRAYER 

WHEN AND FOR WHOM WE SHOULD PRAY 

“We aught always to pray and not to faint” (Luke xviii, i) 

This precept must not be taken literally, but morally, that is to say, 
we must pray often and employ certain particular times in this holy 
exercise. I. When should we pray? II. For whom should we pray? 

I. WHEN WE SHOULD PRAY 

1. There are days that are specially consecrated to prayer: Sun¬ 
days, holydays, and fast-days. 

'‘Prayer is good with fasting and alms. ,, (Tob. xii, 8) 

2. We should pray when exposed to temptation. 

“Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matth. 
xxvi, 41) 

“He who has not recourse to prayer in temptation, falls.” (S. 
Pet. Chrys.) 

3. In time of affliction and adversity. 

“Is any of you sad? Let him pray.” (Jas. v, 13) 

“Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John xvi, 20) 

“In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: and 
He heard my voice from His holy temple.” (Ps. xvii, 7) 

“In my trouble I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.” (Ps. cxix, 1) 

4. At certain hours of the day. 

“Seven times a day I have given praise to Thee.” (Ps. cxviii, 164) 

“I rose at midnight to give praise to Thee.” ( Ibid ., 62) 

We should often raise our hearts and souls to God by ejaculatory 
prayers, such as: 

“Have mercy on me, O God. . . . Wash me yet more from my 
iniquity.” (Ps. 1 , i, 3) 

“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke xviii, 13) 

“The sins of my youth and my ignorance do not remember, O Lord.” 
(Ps. xxiv, 7) 


402 


WHEN WE SHOULD PRAY 


403 


“I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of Thy 
justice.” (Ps. cxviii, 106) 

We should pray when we hear the Angelus bell, to implore the power¬ 
ful intercession of the Queen of Heaven. 

5. We should pray before and after meals. Gratitude to the Author 
of all good imposes this obligation on us. 

'‘The poor shall eat and shall be filled; and they shall praise the 
Lord that seek Him.” (Ps. xxi, 27) 

6. We should pray morning and evening; this is one of the principal 
duties of religion. True Christians take care never to neglect it. 

i°. In the morning: 

“The wise [just] man will give his heart to resort early to the Lord 
that made him, and he will pray in the sight of the Most High.” 
(Eccli. xxxix, 6) 

God demands the first thoughts of our mind and the first affections 
of our heart. 

Our own interests urge us to pay this lawful debt. We should ask 
from God the grace to pass the day without sin or harm. 

“Save us now by Thy power, that we may not turn aside to sin this 
day. Be pleased, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.” (Eccles. 
Office). In the morning we should offer all our actions of the day to 
God and beg Him to bless them. 

“[For] unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build 
it.” (Ps. cxxvi, 6) 

“Neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth: but God 
that giveth the increase.” (1 Cor. iii, 7) 

2 0 . In the evening. 

There are several reasons why we should pray in the evening, (a) 
We should thank God for the graces He has bestowed on us during 
the day; (b) before going to rest we should beg of Him to forgive us 
the sins we have committed. 

“Evening and morning and at noon I will speak and declare.” (Ps. 
liv, 18) 

The best way to say the evening prayers is to say them in common, 
for Christ says: 

“Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there 
am I in the midst of them.” (Matth. xviii, 2) 

To the evening prayers join an examination of conscience. Detest 
your sins, and stir up in your hearts perfect contrition, lest death should 
surprise you in a state of sin, or lest, if you do not conceive a horror 
of sin, you should be drawn into greater faults. 


404 


PRAYER 


“[For] sin which is not blotted out by penance soon draws on to 
another sin by its own weight.” (S. Greg.) 

“Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, therefore is she become unstable.” 
(Lament, i, 8) 


II. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY? 

Charity obliges us to pray for all men. 

“I desire, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, interces¬ 
sions, and thanksgivings be made for all men.” (i Tim. ii, i) 

“Pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual 
prayer of a just man availeth much.” (Jas. v, 16) 

But we are specially bound to pray: 

1. For our ecclesiastical superiors. 

“Praying withal for us.” (Coloss, iv, 3) 

“Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thess. v, 25) 

“Peter therefore was kept in prison. But prayer was made without 
ceasing by the Church unto God for him.” (Acts xii, 5) 

2. For the civil rulers. 

“For kings, and for all that are in high station; that we may lead 
a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity.” (1 Tim. ii, 2) 

3. For our relatives, friends, and benefactors. 

4. For those who persecute and calumniate us. 

“Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.” (Matth. v, 44) 

“That prayer in which we strive to intercede for our enemies is 
specially pleasing to the heart of God.” (S. Greg.) 

5. For the souls in Purgatory. 

“It is, therefore, a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the 
dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” (Mach, xii, 46) 

But, alas! they are forgotten only too often. 

People also neglect to pray for public necessities. 

God complains of this by the mouth of the Prophet Ezechiel: 

“I sought among them for a man that might set up a hedge, and 
stand in the gap before Me in favor of the land, that I might not de¬ 
stroy it; and I found none.” (Ezech. xxi, 30) 

“Whoever strives to intercede for others rather favors himself by 
his charity; and the more devoutly he pleads for others, the more 
quickly he deserves to be heard for himself.” (S. Greg.) 


Divisions 

I 

We pray and we are not heard. Whence comes it that our prayers 



FOR WHOM WE SHOULD PRAY 405 

are unfruitful? It is either because we do not pray for what is neces¬ 
sary, or we do not pray as we should. 

1. We ask either, 

i°. For things that are prejudicial to our salvation; or 

2°. For goods that are purely temporal and of no use in the work 
of salvation; or 

3 0 . Even for supernatural graces which, from the idea we have of 
them, far from satisfying our souls, would remove us farther from the 
way of salvation. 

Three truths which prove that we do not ask for what is necessary. 

2. Four conditions of efficacious prayer: 

i°. Humility, 

2 0 . Confidence, 

3 0 . Perseverance, 

4 0 . Attention of mind and affection of heart. 

As these conditions are often wanting in our prayers, does it not fol¬ 
low that we do not pray as we should ? 

II 

1. Obligation incumbent on us of praying in the name of Jesus 
Christ. 

i°. We should adore God. We can do so worthily only through 
Jesus Christ: 

“Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” (Eccli. xv, 9) 

2°. We should thank God for His benefits. How shall we fulfil 
this duty? By “giving thanks ... in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ.” (Eph. v, 20) 

3 0 . We should ask God to pardon our sins. Who but Jesus Christ 
can reconcile us to God ? “He is the propitiation for our sins. (1 
John ii, 2) 

4 0 . We must beg of God to give us the graces we require, in 

whose name shall we ask for them, if not in the name of Christ, who 

has merited them for us? “If you ask the Father anything in My 
name, He will give it you.” (John xvi, 23) 

2. What we must do in order to fulfil this duty of prayer in a proper 

spirit. . 

i°. We must pray in the name of Jesus Christ, that is, we must be¬ 
lieve in Him, we must have true faith. 

2°. We must place our whole confidence in His infinite merits. 

3° We must pray for the things that are necessary for salvation. 

4 0 . We must imitate the virtues practised by our Lord in prayer. 


406 


PRAYER 


III 

In order to pray well we must seriously consider three questions: 

1. Who is He to whom we pray? 

2. What are the things we ask of Him? 

3. How should we ask them of Him? 

IV 

What should be the object of prayerf 
We should beg of God: 

1. To glorify Himself; 

2. To give us His grace; 

3. To give to our neighbor that which we reasonably desire for 
ourselves. 


LX IX 


THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 

“Going, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matth. xviii, 19, 20) 

What is the grace we receive in Baptism? Many know nothing 
about it. What does this grace demand of us? It is our duty to 
make known to you the obligations you contracted at Baptism, because 
Jesus Christ, when sending His ministers to baptize the people, com¬ 
manded them at the same time to instruct those baptized: “Going, 
teach,” etc. Consider: I. The excellence of the grace of Baptism, 
comprised in these words: “Baptizing them in the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”; II. The duties which this 
grace imposes on us, as shown in the words: “Teaching them to ob¬ 
serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” 

I. EXCELLENCE OF THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 

Do you wish to know what is the grace of Baptism, and the excellence 
of the Sacrament by which you have been made Christians ? Consider 
that: 

“Baptism is the lustre of souls, the change of life into a better state, 
the correcting of the image, the most excellent of all the benefits of 
God.” (S. Aug.) 

“By whom [Jesus Christ] He hath given us most great and precious 
promises; that by these you may be made partakers of the divine 
nature.” (2 Pet. i, 4) 

It follows that by the grace of Baptism we enter into union with the 
most Holy Trinity: 

“Partakers of the Divine Nature”: (1) union with the Father whose 
children we become; (2) union with the Son, of whom we are made 
members; (3) union with the Holy Ghost, of whom we become the 
temples. 

1. Union with the Father 

Listen to what S. Paul says: “You have not received the spirit of 
bondage again in fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption of 
sons, whereby we cry: Abba (Father). (Rom. viii, 15) 

407 


408 


THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 


Ah! my God, You are my Father, and I have the honor to be Your 
child : that is my title : 

“He [God] hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children 
through Jesus Christ unto Himself; according to the purpose of His 
will.” (Eph. i, 5). Oh ! who can understand such a favor! 

“Behold [Ah! Christian, open your eyes], behold what manner of 
charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and 
should be the sons of God.” (1 John iii, 1) 

But, O blindness! of all titles there is not one that is less esteemed 
to-day than that of Christian . . . The first disciples of Jesus Christ 
preferred this title to all others. 

“We glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God.” (Rom. 
v, 2) 

“[We who first] were by nature children of wrath, even as the 
rest.” (Eph. ii, 3) 

“It is the highest degree of nobility to be counted among the children 
of God.” (S. Cyr.) 

“Giving thanks to God, the Father, who hath made us worthy to be 
partakers of the lot of the saints in light.” (Coloss, i, 12) 

“Of His own will hath He begotten us by the word of truth, that we 
might be some beginning of His creature.” (Jas. i, 18) 

“You are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, 
a purchased people.” (1 Pet. ii, 9) 

“He hath not done in like manner to every nation.” (Ps. cxlvii, 20) 

“A father begets a son to succeed him when he dies; God brings 
forth children from His Church, not to succeed Him, but to dwell with 
Him.” (S. Aug.) 


2. Union with the Son 

“He is the Head of the body, the Church.” (Coloss, i, 18). The 
mystic body of Jesus Christ is His Church; Pie is its Head, and we 
are its members. The Head in whom reside all the graces that are 
communicated to us, and that flow unceasingly on the children of the 
Church, that forms apostles, doctors, virgins. It is to this Head that 
we have the honor of being united by Baptism, in a union so intimate 
that He Himself says: 

“I in them and Thou [Father] in Me; that they may be made per¬ 
fect in one. Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou hast 
given me, may be with Me.” (John xvii, 23, 24) 

“Be filled with wonder and joy, we are made one with Christ.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“From the old He has made something new, from being human He 
has made me divine [by Baptism]. (S. Greg. Naz.) 


UNION WITH THE HOLY GHOST 


409 


What follows from this? That, having the advantage of being 
members of Jesus Christ, we should live in a manner worthy of Him. 

“Such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, 
but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. vi, 11) 

“No one becomes a member of Christ unless either by Baptism in 
Christ or by death for Him.” (S. Aug.) 

“O Christian, recognize your dignity and, being made a partaker of 
the divine nature, do not, by an unworthy life, return to your old 
vileness. Be mindful of the Head and body of which you are a mem¬ 
ber ; remember that, snatched from the powers of darkness, you have 
been translated into the light and the kingdom of God.” (S. Leo) 

“Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the mem¬ 
bers of an harlot?” (1 Cor. vi, 15) 

3. Union with the Holy Ghost 

“Know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, 
who is in you?” (1 Cor. vi, 19) 

The Holy Ghost, then, dwells not only in our soul, but also in our 
body; and it was when we were baptized that He descended invisibly 
on us. Well, if some one asked you: “Have you received the Holy 
Ghost since ye believed?” (Acts xix, 2) ; I fear very much that many 
would have to answer: “We have not so much as heard whether there 
be a Holy Ghost.” (Ibid.) 

Open the eyes of Faith and you will see that the three Divine Per¬ 
sons took part in your Baptism. Had you merited this wonderful 
favor ? 

“Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to 
His mercy He saved us by the love of regeneration.” (Tit. iii, 5) 

What infinite mercy! Do we ever think of it ? Alas ! how many are 
ignorant of it, or never reflect on it! 

“I have baptized you with water; but He shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost.” (Mark i, 8) 

“The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy 
Ghost who is given to us.” (Rom. v, 5) 

“It is through Baptism that we received the first fruits of the 
Spirit, and the beginning of another life; regeneration may be to us a 
seal, and a protection, and an illumination.” (S. John Damasc.) 

“By the power of the Holy Ghost, Our Lord Jesus Christ was con¬ 
ceived and born of the Virgin Mary; and by the same Spirit of God 
we are made members of the Holy Catholic Church.” (S. Leo) 

“Withdraw, accursed spirit, from this image of God, and give place 
to the Holy Ghost.” (Ritual) 


4io 


THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 


“He breathed on them, and He said to them: Receive ye the Holy 
Ghost.” (John xx, 22) 

II. DUTIES WHICH THIS GRACE IMPOSES ON US 

By baptism we enter into a covenant with God to begin a new life 
of a higher and holier order. In order to fulfil the conditions of this 
treaty, we must keep the promises we made, and observe all that Christ 
commands us: “Teaching them to observe,” etc. (Matth. xxvii, 20), 
that is to say: 

“The person baptized is a debtor to the Baptism of the Gospel, that he 
may live according to the Gospel.” (S. Basil) 

But to live according to the Gospel is, (1) to avoid what it forbids, 
(2) to practise what it commands. 

1. To avoid what it forbids. The first degree of Christian liberty 
is to avoid sin.” The first liberty is to be without guilt.” (S. Aug.) 
Although we all fail in many things: “In many things we all offend.” 
(Jas. iii, 2), we should be very careful to avoid sins, especially those 
that inflict spiritual death on the soul by depriving it of sanctifying 
grace. 

“Mortal sins are those that destroy by one act: a Christian of lively 
faith and hope does not commit such.” (S. Aug.) 

A Christian should look on himself as a man dead to sin, and buried 
with Jesus Christ: 

“For we are buried together with Him by Baptism into death; that 
as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we 
also may walk in newness of life. ... So do you also reckon, that you 
are dead to sin.” (Rom. vi, 4, 11) 

“Know ye not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are 
baptized in His death?” {Ibid., 3) 

Have we a horror of sin? Are we fully persuaded that he who 
makes himself the slave of sin, is unworthy of the name of Christian? 

“Those among us who are evil, are no longer called Christians.” 
( T ert.) 

If you are addicted to swearing, to drunkenness, to impurity, I dare 
to tell you with the holy Fathers that you are no longer a true Christian. 

Is it not a deplorable thing to see sin reigning to-day in almost every 
state of life? 

“[Many drink] iniquity like water.” (Job xv, 16) 

Fathers and mothers, do you guard the innocence of your dear 
children? Are you careful to instruct them in the duties imposed on 
them by the Church at the moment of Baptism? 

“Preserve your Baptism, keep the Commandments of God, that when 


DUTIES IMPOSED BY BAPTISM 


411 

the Lord comes to the nuptials, you may hasten to meet Him.” (Ritual) 

“I will pour you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your 
filthiness. . . . And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit 
within you.” (Ezech. xxxvi, 25, 26) 

“He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved.” (Mark xvi, 16) 

“If we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there 
is now left no sacrifice for sins.” (Heb. x, 26) 

“Christians are known only by the amendment of their lives.” 
(Tert.) 

“Baptism is the death of sin, the life of virtue.” (S. Cypr.) 

“The law of Christ does not help us in this life, nay, rather, it ac¬ 
cuses us, that, being under the law, we do all things against the law.” 
(Salvian) 

“It profits nothing to have a holy name, unless we lead a holy life, 
because a life at variance with the profession counteracts the honor of 
an illustrious title, by the vileness of unworthy acts.” (Id.) 

“Were you made a Christian in order to prosper in this world?” (S. 
Aug.) 

“They that are Christ’s have crucified their flesh with the vices and 
concupiscences.” (Gal. v, 24) 

“If any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” 
(1 Cor. iii, 17) 

2. To practise what it commands. We should not only die to sin, 
but also live the life of Jesus Christ: 

“As many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on 
Christ.” (Gal. iii, 27) 

When a man is dressed in black, or in white, he need not tell others 
that he is so dressed—it is easily seen. Neither had the first Christians 
any need of saying that they had put on Jesus Christ; it was enough to 
see and hear them to be convinced of it. If we are clothed with Jesus 
Christ, let His charity, His patience, His humility, His purity, His 
holiness of life, appear in our lives and works. 

“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. xiii, 14) 

We should clothe ourselves with Him outwardly in order to edify our 
neighbor; we should clothe ourselves with Him inwardly in order to 
sanctify ourselves. 

“He orders us to be encompassed by Him on all sides.” (S. Chrys.) 

“In vain are we called Christians, if we are not imitators of Christ.” 
(S. Leo) 

“Christians have received their name from Christ; and it is most 
necessary that, as they are heirs of His name, they should be imitators 
of His virtue.” (S. Bern.) 


412 


THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 


“He that saith he abideth in Him [Christ], ought himself also to 
walk, even as He walked.” (i John ii, 6) 

“All are not Israelites that are of Israel; neither are all they that 
are the seed of Abraham, children.” (Rom. ix, 6, 7) 

“He who does not imitate Jesus Christ chooses the name of Christian 
to no purpose; for what will it profit you to be called that which you are 
not, and to usurp the name of another? But if you feel a joy in being 
a Christian, then love and cherish those things that pertain to Christian¬ 
ity, and justly take the name of Christian.” (S. Aug.) 

“You are betrayed and discovered, O Christian, when you do one 
thing and profess another; faithful in name, unfaithful in works; you 
renounced the devil and his works, not in the presence of men, but of 
God and His angels; your bond is preserved in Heaven; you have al¬ 
ready broken it, not only in words, but also in deeds, not only by the 
sound of your tongue, but also by the acts of your life.” (Id.) 

“If you are a Christian, imitate Jesus Christ; let not the name be to 
you empty and unprofitable, but rich; fill up the measure of so great 
a name; fill it up, I say, with works worthy of the name.” (S. Greg. 
Nyss.) 

“Put forth your strength [O Christian], fight bravely. . . . Con¬ 
sider the agreement, attend to the condition, gain a knowledge of the 
warfare; the agreement to which you have solemnly pledged yourself, 
the condition to which you have assented, the service in which you are 
enrolled. You are indeed a poor soldier if you think you can con¬ 
quer without fighting, or triumph without a struggle.” (Tert.) 

“Our mother, the Church, points out to you the example of the saints, 
and bids you walk in their footsteps, believe as they believed, and 
speak as they spoke; and since you are at a disadvantage by the sin 
and bad example of others, by the faith, example, and confession of 
others you will be saved.” (S. Aug.) 

“Thus you have renounced Satan, and all his works, and all his 
pomps.” (Ritual) 

Recall your holy Baptism to mind as often as you can; think of the 
graces you received in it, and the engagements you contracted. 

“Remember your promise and never let your vigilance slacken.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

You renounced Satan. You promised to attach yourself sincerely 
to Jesus Christ: have you kept your word? Ah! how many times 
have you not broken those holy promises! Remember them to-day at 
the foot of the altar, and let nothing ever cause you to break them again. 

“You have been baptized; recall the questions put to you at the 
time. What answer did you make? You renounced the devil and all 
his works and pomps; you renounced the world and all its luxuries and 


DUTIES IMPOSED BY BAPTISM 


4 i 3 


sinful pleasures. Be faithful to your promises; you must not act as 
one who made a deceitful promise, as one whose response was a lie 
in his mouth.” (S. Ambr.) 

“[But] who has kept the agreement by which he voluntarily bound 
himself at Baptism? You renounced the devil, and yet you follow 
him; you renounced all his pomps, and yet you give your heart to the 
pomps of the world.” (S. Bonav.) 

“Labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your 
calling and election.” (2 Pet. i, 10) 

“It had been better for them not to have known the way of justice, 
than after they had known it, to turn back.” {Ibid., ii, 21) 

“Be ye followers of God, as most dear children.” (Eph. v, 1) 

“Hold the form of sound words [and deeds]. . . . Keep the good 
thing committed to thy trust by the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in us.” 
(2 Tim. i, 13, 14) 


Divisions 

I 

1. What is the dignity of a Christian? 

2. What are his obligations? 

II 

1. A Christian is a man separated from the world by his state. 

2. A Christian is a man consecrated to God by his state. 

III 

1. Excellence of Baptism. 

In order to understand this, consider three wonderful effects of the 

Sacrament: . 

i°. It draws us out of the most unhappy state, which is that of sin; 
2 0 .' It is by a pure effect of God’s mercy that we have been freed 
from that unhappy state; 

3 0 . Holy Baptism raises our claims and hopes even to the glorious 
title of children of God. 

2. Obligations imposed on us by Baptism. 

It obliges us to lead, 

i°. A holy life, 

2°. A mortified life, 

3 0 . A life of unceasing vigilance over ourselves. 



414 


THE GRACE OF BAPTISM 


IV 

Baptism produces three effects: 

1. The remission of original sin in infants and adults, and further, in 
adults, the remission of actual sin and of the temporal punishment due 
to sin; 

2. Sanctifying grace, with the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the infused 
virtues; 

3. The character or mark by which the believer is distinguished from 
the infidel. 


LXX 


THE GRACE OF CONFIRMATION 

DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING THE HOLY GHOST 

"When the Paraclete cometh, whom I will send you from the Father, 
the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, He shall give testi¬ 
mony of Me; and you shall give testimony, because you are with Me 
from the beginning.” (John xv, 26f.) 

When Christ commanded His Apostles to preach the Gospel through¬ 
out the world he predicted that in discharging this duty they would 
incur the hatred and fury of men. What sublime courage would they 
not require ? This courage was assured to them by the promise of our 
Lord that He would send the Holy Ghost, who would support them in 
the combat. But it was not to the Apostles alone that Christ promised 
the Holy Spirit; He promised Him to all the faithful, and He com¬ 
municates Him with all His gifts to those who are well disposed. Pre¬ 
pare yourselves, then, to receive that Divine Comforter, and for this 
purpose: I. Recognize how much you need Him; II. Understand what 
dispositions you should have in order to receive so great a gift with 
profit. 


I. HOW MUCH YOU NEED THE HOLY GHOST 

There is no one who does not desire, (i) a comforter in his sorrows, 
(2) a physician in his sickness, (3) a protector to defend him against 
his enemies. But such are the offices of love which the Holy Ghost 
discharges towards each soul that has the happiness to receive Him, and 
these offices should make us understand the need we have of Him. 

1. The Holy Ghost is a comforter in sorrow 

Life is full of sorrow and suffering. Some are afflicted by sickness, 
others by persecutions. Where will they find consolation? It is use¬ 
less to expect it from men. The Holy Ghost alone can give us true 
comfort in our sufferings, for as He is the source of all good, (1) He 
can not only make compensation to us for all our losses, but also (2) 
He can turn to our advantage the evils that afflict us. 

1. If a soul has suffered some loss, the Holy Ghost, who visits it, 
makes up for that loss by a gift of far greater value: He bestows on 

4i5 


416 


CONFIRMATION 


the soul the treasures of grace, and pours into it the salutary unction 
that makes all sufferings easily borne. 

“There is nothing more precious than this gift of God; the soul re¬ 
ceives other gifts from the Holy Spirit, but these profit nothing with¬ 
out charity.” (S. Aug.) 

2. The Holy Ghost will do more for this soul; He will turn to its 
advantage the pains and sorrows it endures. He will make it look on 
temporal sufferings as a sure and infallible means of gaining eternal 
riches; He will make it understand these words of Holy Scripture: 

“That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” 
(2 Cor. iv, 17) 

“I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation.” (2 Cor. 
vii, 4) 

For what are these compared with eternity? 

“Thou gavest them Thy good Spirit to teach them.” (2 Esdras 
ix, 20) 

“Oh, how good and sweet is Thy Spirit, O Lord, in all things.” 
(Wis. xii, 1) 

“God doth not give the Spirit by measure.” (John iii, 34) 

“The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, 
who is given to us.” (Rom. v, 5) 

“Those who receive the Holy Ghost, despise the riches of earth 
through love of the treasures of Heaven.” (S. Chrys.) 

“God gives Himself to us in order that He may be loved; for God 
is love, and we love Him only by charity.” (S. Fulgence) 

“The Holy Spirit gives the pledge of salvation, the strength, the 
life, the light of knowledge.” (S. Bern.) 

2. He is a physician in sickness 

The Holy Ghost is an all-powerful physician, who will cure our 
sickness. The diseases from which we should desire to be freed are 
our sins: diseases much more deadly than those of the body; for the soul 
infected with the disease of sin is in a state of death, and incapable of 
even desiring to be cured, if the Holy Spirit does not inspire it with that 
desire. 

“Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of our¬ 
selves; but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. iii, 5) 

“You are washed, you are sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. vi, 11) 

“He [the Lord] said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones 
[sinners] shall live? Prophesy concerning these bones, and say to 


THE HOLY GHOST A PHYSICIAN 


417 


them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. . . . Behold I will 
send spirit into you, and you shall live. . . . And He said to me: 
Prophesy and say to the Spirit: Come, spirit, and blow upon these 
slain, and let them live again.” (Ezech. xxxvii, 3-9) 

“He that hath anointed us is God; who also hath sealed us, and 
given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor. i, 21, 22) 
“There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit.” (1 Cor. xii, 4) 
“The Holy Spirit is given to dwell in our bodies.” (Tert.) 

“Oh! how swift is the word of wisdom, and where God is the 
teacher, how quickly we learn what is taught.” (S. Leo) 

“The day of Pentecost is a day of propitiation, a day of forgiveness, 
a day of pardon.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The Holy Ghost is sent to complete by His power what our Saviour 
began, to guard what He acquired, to sanctify what He redeemed.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“I recognize the presence of the Holy Ghost by the change in my 
heart, when I see that which was earthly become heavenly, that which 
was carnal become spiritual.” (S. Bern.) 

3. He is a protector against enemies 

If you fear that the enemies of your salvation may take from you 
the precious treasure of grace with which the Holy Ghost has enriched 
you, that Holy Spirit will be your protector, and will defend you against 
their attacks. The demon will use every effort to gain possession of 
your soul. “He goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may 
devour.” The world and your own passions will tempt you. But set 
your mind at rest. . . . 

“He will overshadow thee with His shoulders, and under His wings 
thou shalt trust. His truth shall compass thee with a shield; thou shalt 
not be afraid of the terror of the night. . . . Thou hast made the Most 
High thy refuge. There shall no evil come to thee.” (Ps. xc, 4-10) 
“Who shall know Thy thought, except Thou give wisdom, and send 
Thy Holy Spirit from above.” (Wis. ix, 17) 

“My Spirit shall be in the midst of you: fear not.” (Agg. ii, 6) 
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him; the Spirit of wisdom 
and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the Spirit 
of knowledge and of godliness, and He shall be filled with the Spirit 
of the fear of the Lord.” (Is. xi, 2, 3) 

“They [men] will deliver you up in councils. ... Take no thought 
how or what to speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what to 
speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that 
speaketh in you.” (Matth. x, 17-20) 


4i8 


CONFIRMATION 


“Now the Lord is a spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there 
is liberty.” (2 Cor. iii, 17) 

“You were signed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge 
of our inheritance, unto the redemption of acquisition, unto the praise 
of His glory.” (Eph. i, 13, 14) 

“The holy men of God spoke inspired by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet. 
i, 21) 

“Whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” 
(Rom. viii, 14) 

“The Spirit helpeth our infirmity; for we know not what we should 
pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself asketh for us with un¬ 
speakable groanings. And He that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what 
the Spirit desireth; because He asketh for the saints according to God.” 
(Rom. viii, 26, 27) 

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but the Spirit of power, 
and of love, and of sobriety.” (2 Tim. i, 7) 

“The Holy Ghost came in the form of tongues of fire, to signify 
that the Apostles were to be endowed with burning eloquence and the 
gift of tongues.” (S. Greg.) 

II. DISPOSITIONS WITH WHICH WE SHOULD RECEIVE THE 
HOLY GHOST 

The Apostles withdrew into the Cenacle, where they spent ten days 
in retirement and prayer: “They were persevering with one mind in 
prayer.” (Acts i, 14). That is the example you should follow in order 
to prepare well for the coming of the Holy Ghost into your hearts. 
(1) Retirement, (2) prayer, (3) purity of soul, are the dispositions 
He requires. 


I. Retirement 

Solitude has always been considered the most fitting place for the com¬ 
munication of the Holy Spirit. This is why so many holy souls have 
withdrawn from the world. You cannot quit the world. But you 
can make a few days’ retreat from time to time. If you cannot do 
even that, you are at least obliged to make an interior retreat, to enter 
into yourselves and reflect seriously on your last end and on the means 
of attaining it. You should separate yourselves from certain dangerous 
companions, from occasions of sin, from this perverse world, the 
maxims of which are opposed to the Spirit of God. 

“Stay you in the city, till you be endued with power from on high.” 
(Luke xxiv, 49) 

“I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that 
He may abide with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world 


HOW TO RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST 


419 

(John 


cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him.” 
xiv, 16, 17) 

“The Lord is not in the earthquake.” (3 Kings xix, 11) 

“I will lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her heart.” 
(Os. ii, 14) 

“We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is 
of God, that we may know the things that are given us from God.” 
(1 Cor. ii, 12) 

“The grace of the Holy Spirit does not recognize sluggish efforts.” 
(S. Ambr.) 


2. Prayer 

The Apostles made use of this means also. How ardently they ap¬ 
pealed to Heaven to send them down the Divine Comforter! They 
knew how much they needed Him. They knew He would enlighten 
them and give them the strength necessary to preach the Gospel; that 
He would sustain them against the persecution and fury of men. If 
you knew the need you have of this Holy Spirit, you would beseech Him 
with the same fervor and perseverance to come to you. But can you 
not feel this need? Pray then, as the Apostles prayed, and He will 
certainly come to you. 

“If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, 
how much more will your Father from Heaven give the good Spirit 
to them that ask Him?” (Luke xi, 13) 

“Hitherto you have not asked anything in My name. Ask, and you 
shall receive.” (John xvi, 24) 

“Renew a right Spirit within my bowels.” (Ps. 1 , 12) 

“How shall we love so that we may receive the Holy Ghost, whom 
we should have in order to be able to love?” (S. Aug.) 

3. Purity of soul 

But in vain will you beseech the Holy Ghost to dwell in you, if you 
do not purify your hearts from everything that would be an obstacle to 
the graces He wishes to bestow on you. The great obstacle is sin. 
Your soul cannot be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit while sin 

reigns in it. . „ 

“My spirit shall not remain in man for ever because he is flesh. 

^ “Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit 
of God dwelleth in you ? But if any man shall violate the temple of 
God, him shall God destroy.” (1 Cor. iii, 16, 17) 

“I have filled Him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and under¬ 
standing, and knowledge in all manner of work.’ (Exod. xxxi, 3) 


420 CONFIRMATION 

“Can we find such another man, that is full of the Spirit of God?” 
(Gen. xli, 38) 

“He [Paul] said to them: Have you received the Holy Ghost since 
you believed? But they said to him: we have not so much as heard 
whether there be a Holy Ghost.” (Acts xix, 2) 

“The Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and will 
withdraw Himself from thoughts that are without understanding, and 
He shall not abide when iniquity cometh in.” (Wis. i, 5) 

“You always resist the Holy Ghost.” (Acts vii, 51) 

“An impure life expels the Spirit.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” 
(Rom. viii, 9) 

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. v, 25) 
“Extinguish not the Spirit.” (1 Thess. v, 19) 

“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the 
day of redemption.” (Eph. iv, 30) 

“Cast me not away from Thy face, and take not Thy Holy Spirit 
from me.” (Ps. 1 , 13) 

“Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in 
them the fire of Thy love,” etc. 


Divisions 

I 

Happiness of the soul that receives the Holy Ghost. 

1. There is no better way of understanding the happiness of a soul 
that receives the Holy Ghost, and the fruits He produces in it, than by 
considering the wonderful effects His coming produced on the Apostles: 

i°. He enlightened and instructed them. Before they received the 
Holy Spirit: “This word was hid from them.” (Luke xviii, 34) 

2°. He bestowed on them supernatural strength to uphold the truths 
they were to preach to the world : “They went rejoicing . . . that they 
were worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.” (Acts v, 41). 
This Divine Spirit enlightened them with His lights by communicating 
to them the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel; 
He confirmed their will by the gifts of strength, of piety, and of the 
fear of God. (Short explanation of these gifts.) 

3 0 . He sanctified them, not only by pouring habitual charity into 
their hearts: “The charity of God is poured forth into our hearts by 
the Holy Ghost” (Rom. v, 5) ; but also by correcting their defects and 
imperfections, which remain even in the state of grace. It is this Divine 
Spirit that inspires all acts of virtue. 



HOW TO RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST 


421 

2. By what marks can we know whether we hove received the Holy 
Ghost ? 

It is characteristic of the Spirit of God, 

1°. To banish the spirit of the world from our hearts; 

2 °. To give us strength to fight against this evil spirit; 

3 0 . To unite the hearts of the faithful in the bonds of perfect charity, 
and 

4°. To fill us with an ardent zeal in the service of God. 

II 

1. Happiness of the faithful sold that has received the Holy Ghost. 

David in the 50th psalm calls the Holy Ghost a right Spirit, a holy 

and a strong Spirit. These names indicate the effects He produces in 
the soul that has the happiness to receive Him. 

i°. He is a Spirit of rectitude, guiding the soul; 

2°. A Spirit of holiness, purifying it; 

3 0 . A Spirit of strength, animating and sustaining it. 

2. Misery of the sinful soul that resists the Holy Ghost. 

This is shown by the words of the Psalmist: “My heart is troubled, 
my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with 
me.” (Ps. xxxvii, 11) 

i°. That Spirit that guided it, guides it no longer; it becomes blind; 

2 0 . The soul, no longer possessing that Spirit of holiness, falls into 
sins of pure malice; it commits sin without fear and without remorse; 

3 0 . The soul, having lost that Spirit of fortitude, falls into final 
impenitence, which is the last degree of the sins against the Holy 
Ghost, and the consummation of all sins: “Because he hath been 
rebellious against the Lord, he shall be cut off from among His people; 
for he hath contemned the word of the Lord, and made void His 
precepts; therefore shall he be destroyed and shall bear his iniquity. 
(Num. xv, 30, 31) 


LXXI 


HUMAN RESPECT 

“Blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in Me.” (Matth. xi, 6) 

This is the mark by which the Savior of the world recognizes His 
true disciples. He declares that we must not hope to be of the number 
of His children unless we are firmly resolved to profess openly that we 
are such. But by so declaring, He excludes from His kingdom those 
cowardly Christians who blush to be called His followers, and who suf¬ 
fer themselves to be tyrannized over by human respect. Slaves of 
human respect, I will show you: I. How unworthy your conduct is; 
II. How sinful it is. 


I. UNWORTHY CONDUCT 

Human respect is unworthy of every man who knows God, but it 
is especially unworthy of a Christian raised by Baptism to the adoption 
of the Children of God. In truth human respect is, (i) shameful 
slavery, (2) contemptible cowardice. 

1. Shameful slavery 

What is more slavish than to be reduced, or rather to reduce oneself, 
to the necessity of regulating one’s religion and one’s whole conduct 
according to the whim of others and the foolish judgment of the world? 
There are circumstances in which slavery is tolerable, reasonable, nay 
sometimes even honorable; but to submit to it in a matter which in its 
very essence is free, as is the profession of our faith and the exercise 
of our religion, is an act which neither our conscience nor the dignity of 
our being can permit. It is a slavery so much the more shameful, that 
it is the effect of a meanness of spirit and a want of moral courage 
which we try, but in vain, to hide from ourselves. We allow ourselves 
to be troubled: by what? A word; and by whom? By thoughtless 
men, whose folly and impiety are often known to us. 

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” (Rom. i, 16) 

“When all went to the golden calves, which Jeroboam, king of Israel, 
had made, he [Tobias] alone fled the company of all, and went to 
Jerusalem to the temple of the Lord.” (Tob. i, 5) 

“He that walketh in the right way and feareth God, is despised by 
him that goeth by an infamous way.” (Prov. xiv, 2) 

422 


UNWORTHY CONDUCT 


423 


“Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a mortal man, and 
of the son of man, who shall wither away like grass? And thou 
hast forgotten the Lord, thy maker, who stretched out the heavens and 
founded the earth.” (Is. li, 12, 13) 

“When they knew God, they have not glorified Him as God. . . . 
[Therefore] God delivered them up to a reprobate sense.” (Rom. i, 
21, 28) 

“They worshipped what they reproved, they did what they censured, 
they adored what they condemned.” (S. Aug.) 

“Serving to the eye as pleasing men.” (Coloss, iii, 22) 

“If you be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be blessed. 
. . . But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief. . . . But 
if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in 
that name.” (1 Pet. iv, 14-16) 

“All that this people speaketh is a conspiracy; neither fear ye their 
fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him 
be your fear, and let Him be your dread.” (Is. viii, 12, 13) 

“It was not without cause that He wished His seal to be placed on 
our forehead, as on the position of modesty, lest the Christian should 
blush at the shame of Christ.” (S. Aug.) 

“For this reason the Lord placed His cross on the foreheads of those 
who believed in Him, where in a sense, is the seat of modesty, that 
Faith might not blush at His name, and might love the glory of God 
rather than that of men.” (Id.) 

“There is nothing so peculiar to slavery as a ceaseless fear.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“What reason is there, I ask, for being ashamed before men and 
yet not dreading the angry countenance of God?” (S. Bern.) 

“There is nothing more troublesome than the desire to please men.” 
(Tert.) 

2. Contemptible cowardice 

I belong to God, I owe all to Him, and I betray Him. Unpardonable 
cowardice, struck by so many anathemas in the Gospel! Ah! let us 
remember the holy martyrs. Did they fear the presence of men? Let 
us imitate S. John the Baptist, who confessed Jesus Christ even in 
prison. 

“He confessed, and did not deny; and he confessed: I am not the 
Christ.” (John i, 20) 

“He that shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him the 
Son of Man shall be ashamed, when He shall come in His Majesty.” 
(Luke ix, 26) 

“If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it; 


424 


HUMAN RESPECT 


and if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would 
perhaps have hidden myself from him. But thou a man of one mind 
. . . who didst take sweet meats together with me.” (Ps. liv, 13-15) 

“To whom have you likened Me, and made Me equal, and compared 
Me?” (Is. xlvi, 5) 

“Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the 
soul; but rather fear Him that can destroy both soul and body into 
hell.” (Matth. x, 28) 

“Do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be 
the servant of Christ.” (Gal. i, 10) 

“To me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man’s 
day.” (1 Cor. iv, 3) 

“Who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good. ... Be not 
afraid of their fear and be not troubled.” (1 Pet. iii, 13, 14) 

“They are of the world; therefore of the world they speak, and the 
world heareth them. We are of God.” (1 John iv, 5, 6) 

“What is thy business ? of what country art thou ? and whither goest 
thou? And he [Jonas] said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the 
Lord God of Heaven.” (Jonas i, 8, 9) 

“You are afraid to offend a great man, and yet you are not afraid to 
offend God.” (S. Aug.) 

“What will you do when Christ shall say to you: You were ashamed 
of My humility, you shall not enter into My glory.” (Id.) 

“What, I ask, will that man do in the agony of punishment who, 
when mocked, was ashamed of Christ?” (S. Greg.) 

“He thinks himself a Christian who is either ashamed or afraid to 
be a Christian. How can he be with Christ who is either ashamed or 
afraid to belong to Christ?” (S. Cypr.) 

“I fear I should be laughed at or despised. Miserable man, do you 
wish not to be laughed at by your fellow slave, but to be hated by your 
Lord?” (S. Chrys.) 

“Christ was not ashamed to be crucified for your sake, and you are 
ashamed to acknowledge publicly His indescribable sovereignty.” 
(id.) 

“Let us, then, displease those to whom Christ is displeasing.” (S. 
Paulin.) 

“Who art thou? Know that I am already a Christian. I shall not 
believe it, nor shall I consider you a Christian unless I see you in the 
church of Christ.” (Simplician) 

II. HOW SINFUL HUMAN RESPECT IS 

In the order of salvation there is nothing more pernicious, nothing 
more to be condemned, nothing more opposed to the law of God, noth- 


SINFULNESS OF HUMAN RESPECT 


425 


ing more deserving of the divine vengeance, than human respect: (1) 

Because human respect destroys in the heart of man the foundation of 
all religion, which is the love of God; (2) because it makes man fall 
into the most criminal apostasy; (3) because it checks in him the ef¬ 
fects of the most powerful graces, and thus becomes the most fatal 
obstacle to the conversion of the worlding. 


1. Human respect destroys the foundation of all religion in 
the heart of man 

It destroys the divine love in the heart, and causes the creature to be 
preferred to the Creator. . . . For what is human respect, or rather 
why do we call it by that name, if not, as S. Thomas says, because in 
most cases it makes us respect the creature more than the Creator? 
This is the reproach which Tertullian made to the pagans: 

“You fear Caesar rather than Jupiter; and you would more readily 
swear falsely by all the gods than by the genius of Caesar alone.” 

“Be not ashamed when you hear of the opprobrium of Christ. Why 
do you show signs of fear on your forehead, which you have armed 
with the sign of the Cross ? A Christian must be without human respect 
when he goes among men to whom Christ is displeasing; when he is 
mocked, when he is called a worshipper of the Crucified, an adorer of 
the dead Malefactor, a venerator of the Slain: if you blush at these 
things, you are dead.” (S. Aug.) 

“As to blush at evil is praiseworthy, so to blush at what is good is 
reprehensible; to be ashamed of evil is a mark of wisdom, to be ashamed 
of what is good is a sign of folly.” (S. Greg.) 

“There is nothing more to be dreaded than that we should fear man 
more than God.” (Id.) 


2. It makes a man fall into the most criminal apostasies 

The evil goes still farther, because human respect causes man to fall 
into an apostasy, which is no longer interior and secret, but, as is daily 
seen to the shame of the Christian name, is only too public and well 
known. Remember the irreverences which the fear of being considered 
devout Christians has made you commit so often before the altar itself, 
—such as assisting at Holy Mass without respect, as if you did not 
believe in it. Is there not there at least apostasy in act? 

“In all these things there is a certain denial of the faith.” (S. Cypr.) 

“He was not overthrown by the violence of persecution, but he de¬ 
based himself by his voluntary fall.” (Id.) 

“He that feareth man shall quickly fall.” (Prov. xxix, 25) 


426 


HUMAN RESPECT 


“It is not enough to have Christ in the heart, and to be unwilling 
to confess Him when mockery is feared.” (S. Aug.) 

“A traitor is not only one who denies the truth, but also one who 
does not profess it.” (S. Chrys.) 

3. How does this happen? 

This happens chiefly because human respect destroys the effects of 
the most powerful graces of God and becomes the most fatal obstacle 
to the conversion of the worldly-minded. Such a man feels within 
him an inclination to lead a more regular and Christian life, but he has 
not the courage to follow it out. He forms desires and plans of 
conversion. He sees the necessity of doing penance. He hears a ser¬ 
mon and is fully convinced. These are go many graces, but a false 
fear of the world destroys their influence. Is not this the most common 
obstacle to conversions? Do we not see people yield to this temptation 
even at death? I understand now the truth of the words of Tertullian: 
“I am saved if I am not ashamed of my God.” Because if I do not 
blush at the name of God, I shall not be ashamed to perform my duties; 
and if I fulfil my duties in spite of what the world may say, I am 
saved: 

“God hath scattered the bones of them that please men; they have 
been confounded because God hath despised them.” (Ps. lii, 6) 

“The fearful and unbelieving . . . shall have their portion in the 
pool burning with fire and brimstone.” (Apoc. xxi, 8) 

“They have despised Me.” (Is. i, 2) . . . “And pray to a God that 
cannot save.” ( Ibid ., xlv, 20) 

“We fools esteemed their lives madness. . . . Behold how they are 
numbered among the children of God.” (Wis. v, 4, 5) 

“He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh at them; and the Lord shall 
deride them.” (Ps. ii, 4) 

“Fear ye not the reproach of men, and be not afraid of their blas¬ 
phemies.” (Is. li, 7) 

“Thou art My servant. . . . Fear not, for I am with thee.” (Is. xli, 
9,10) _ 

“I set my face as a most hard rock, and I know that I shall not be 
confounded.” (Is. 1 , 7) 

“We cannot but speak the things which we have seen.” (Acts, iv, 
20) 

“With the heart, we believe unto justice; but with the mouth, con¬ 
fession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. x, 10) 



SINFULNESS OF HUMAN RESPECT 


427 


Divisions 

I 

“Woe to the world because of scandals. Woe to that man by whom 
the scandal cometh!” (Matth. xviii, 7) 

Scandal of human respect: it is the scandal caused by those who by 
their conversation and conduct assist in maintaining human respect in 
the world. 

1. Nature of this scandal. 

It is so much the more sinful because it defies God more immediately 
and tends more directly to the destruction of His worship . . . “The 
sin of the young men was exceeding great before the Lord, because 
they withdrew men from the sacrifice of the Lord.” C 1 Kings ii, 17) 

2. Danger of this scandal. 

It is so much the more pernicious because it is spread so easily and 
infects souls more surely. 

3. Obligations that spring from it for all those who have authority 
in the world. 

They are the more clearly and strictly commanded to prevent and 
avoid it, because coming from them it is more contagious and deadly. 

4. This example which they give will be the most efficacious remedy 
against the scandal of human respect. What an impression is made 
by the example of the great! 

II 

1. Sin of human respect. 

2. Folly of human respect. 

3. Injustice of human respect. 


LXXII 


NECESSITY OF PENANCE 

“Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” (Luke xiii, 
3 ) 

The Son of God came into this world to save mankind; He will come 
again to judge men and to reward or punish them, according to the 
use they will have made of the graces He has merited for them. But 
it is by penance that you participate in the merits of the Saviour, and 
secure yourselves from the thunderbolts of His justice. Penance is 
necessary for every one in whatever state he may be, whether in a state 
of grace or in that of sin. I. It is necessary for sinners, to enable 
them to rise out of sin; II. It is necessary for the just, to preserve them 
from sin. 


I. PENANCE IS NECESSARY FOR SINNERS, TO ENABLE THEM 
TO RISE OUT OF SIN 

If man had not sinned, it would not be necessary for him to do 
penance. But penance has become indispensably necessary for him, be¬ 
cause it alone can repair the disorder and the consequences of sin. 
Penance alone can appease the anger of God, and make atonement for 
the injury which sin has inflicted on Him. Penance alone can restore 
man to the friendship of God and cure the deep wound made by sin on 
his soul. Penance therefore is necessary for the sinner, (i) as an act 
of justice, and (2) as a remedy; justice with regard to God; a remedy 
for the sinner. 


1. As an Act of Justice 

As God is our first beginning and our last end, it cannot be denied 
that we should live for Him alone; every act of ours should be a homage 
rendered to the sovereignty of His Being; and we should acknowledge 
the absolute dependence which He requires of us, by a most perfect 
submission to His commands. But what does the man who offends God 
do? He renders himself guilty of inflicting an injury on God,—an 
act of the most criminal injustice. But will not God, who commands 
us to repair the injury we do to others, oblige the sinner to restore 

428 


PENANCE NECESSARY FOR THE SINNER 


429 


the glory and honor of which sin has robbed Him? Will He not de¬ 
mand that sin be punished either by the rigors of a voluntary penance, 
or by the chastisements of divine justice? Is it not better to punish our¬ 
selves in this life for the sins we have committed, than to force Al¬ 
mighty God to punish us for them in the life to come ? 

“Who knoweth the power of Thy anger? and for Thy fear can 
number Thy wrath?” (Ps. lxxxix, 11) 

“If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and 
not into the hands of men.” (Eccli. ii, 22) 

“I attended and hearkened: there is none that doth penance for his 
sin, saying: What have I done?” (Jer. viii, 6) 

“There is no change with them, and they have not feared God: He 
hath stretched forth His hand to repay.” (Ps. liv, 20, 21) 


And yet what is a penance that lasts but for a very short time, com¬ 
pared with everlasting pain? 

“Gird yourselves with hair-cloth, lament and howl; for the fierce 
anger of the Lord is not turned away from us.” (Jer. iv, 8) 

“If that nation against which I have spoken, shall repent of their evil, 
I also will repent of the evil that I have thought to do them.” (Jer. 
xviii, 8) 

“Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities.” (Ezech. xviii, 


30 ) 

“He [God] declareth unto men, that all should everywhere do pen¬ 
ance.” (Acts xvii, 30) 

“To the gentiles did I preach, that they should do penance, and turn 
to God doing works worthy of penance.” (Acts xxvi, 20) 

“Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and do pen¬ 
ance.” (Apoc. ii, 5) 

“A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any mercy 
under two or three witnesses: how much more, do you think, he de- 
serveth worse punishments, who hath trodden under foot the Son of 
God, and hath esteemed the blood of the testament unclean by which 
he was sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the Spirit of grace?” 
(Heb. x, 28, 29) 

“Penance is necessary, just as healing remedies are necessary for the 
wounded.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The Lord does not suffer sin to escape unpunished; for either re¬ 
pentant man punishes himself for it; or God punishes it by avenging 
it on man.” (S. Greg.) 

“We repent in words, but not in deeds.” (S. Greg. Nyss.) 

“Penance takes its name from pain, because the soul is afflicted and 
the flesh mortified.” (S. Aug.) 


430 


NECESSITY OF PENANCE 


“The sin which is not wiped out by penance, very quickly draws the 
sinner into another sin by its weight.” (S. Greg.) 

“Behold the greater crimes, to have sinned and not to make atone¬ 
ment, to have committed a crime, and not to weep.” (S. Cypr.) 

2. The Remedy 

Would you not be very blind and cruel towards yourselves if you did 
not profit by so easy a means offered to you by God in penance, of 
appeasing His justice, and regaining His friendship, and curing the 
deadly wound made in your soul by sin? This wound must be very 
deep, since the moment the soul sins it dies, that is to say, it loses the 
life of grace, the friendship of God, and the right which it had to 
the divine inheritance. 

“The soul that sinneth, the same shall die.” (Ezech. xviii, 20) 

Penance restores life to the soul, reconciles it to God; it alone can 
open Heaven, which was closed against the soul by sin. 

As much as Baptism is necessary to cleanse the soul from original 
sin: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John iii, 5) ; so much is 
penance necessary to wipe away actual sin: “Unless you shall do pen¬ 
ance, you shall all likewise perish.” (Luke xiii, 3) 

Penance is necessary necessitate mcdii for him who has sinned. 

“You must do penance or burn.” (S. Aug.) 

But if you do penance, you are sure to find pardon at the throne of 
God’s mercy: “Turn ye to Me and I will turn to you, saith the Lord.” 
(Zach. i, 3) 

“He [Jonas] cried and said: Yet forty days and Ninive shall be de¬ 
stroyed. And the men of Ninive believed in God, and they proclaimed 
a fast, and put on sack-cloth from the greatest to the least. . . . And 
he [the King] rose up out of his throne, and cast away his robe from 
him, and was clothed in sack-cloth, and sat in ashes. . . . And God 
saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way; and God 
had mercy with regard to the evil which He had said that He would do 
to them, and He did it not.” (Jonas iii, 4-10) 

“The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this generation, and 
shall condemn it: because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas.” 
(Matth. xii, 41) 

The prodigal son did penance and was re-established in his former 
state: 

“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee. . . . And the 
father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put 
it on him.” (Luke xv, 21, 22) 


43 1 


PENANCE NECESSARY FOR THE JUST 

“Thou overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance/’ 
(Wis. xi, 24) 

“After Thou didst convert me, I did penance. ... I am confounded 
and ashamed, because I have borne the reproach of my youth.” (Jer. 
xxxi, 19) 

“If the wicked do penance for all the sins which he hath committed, 
and keep all My commandments, and do judgment and justice, living 
he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities 
that he hath done.” (Ezech. xviii, 21, 22) 

“If I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die: and he do pen¬ 
ance for his sin, . . . and walk in the commandments of life, and do 
no unjust thing : he shall surely live, and shall not die.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 
14 , 15 ) 

“If in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been 
wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sack-cloth and 
ashes.” (Matth. xi. 21) 

“As you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity 
unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctifi¬ 
cation.” (Rom. vi, 19) 

“There shall be joy in Heaven upon one sinner that doth penance.” 
(Luke xv, 7) 

“In penance each one should practise greater severity, so that being 
judged by himself, he may not be judged by God.” (S. Aug.) 

“I have more easily found those who have preserved their innocence 
than those who have done suitable penance.” (S. Ambr.) 

“He who is truly penitent, does not dread the work of penance.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“Penance is, as it were, a second plank to the wretched after ship¬ 
wreck.” (S. Jerome) 

“The less you will have spared yourself, the more God will spare 
you.” (Tert.) 

“So great is the healing virtue of penance that God seems to change 
His sentence.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Let him who has not preserved sanctity of soul endure the bitter 
sorrow of repentance.” (S. Pet. Chrys.) 

II. THE JUST ALSO HAVE NEED OF PENANCE TO PRESERVE 
THEM FROM SIN 

1. However just a man may be, he cannot be certain that he has al¬ 
ways preserved his innocence, or that he has recovered it by penance if 
he has once lost it by sin. 

“Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred; but 


NECESSITY OF PENANCE 


432 

all things are kept uncertain for the time to come.” (Eccli. ix, 1, 2) 

“Be not without fear about sin forgiven/’ (Eccli. v, 5) 

“My spirit is in anguish within me; my heart within me is troubled.” 
(Ps. cxlii, 4) 

“I will think for my sin.” (Ps. xxxvii, 19) 

Thus, no matter what precautions a man may have taken to recover 
the grace of God after having once lost it by sin, he will always be un¬ 
certain whether he has had all the dispositions necessary for obtaining 
pardon. But in this uncertainty should we not always have recourse 
to penance in order to make our salvation secure? 

“I am filled with a great fear because of my hidden sins, which are 
clear to Thy eyes, but not to mine. Thou hast known how I have 
grieved and wept for these; I am filled with fear because of my hidden 
sins.” (S. Aug.) 

“O penance, mother of mercy and mistress of virtues! great are thy 
works, by which thou dost pardon the guilty, restore the sinner to grace, 
raise up the fallen, and give fresh hope to the despairing.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The whole life of a Christian ought to be a life of penance.” (Coun¬ 
cil of Trent, S. xiv, c. 9) 

2. But even though the just man were assured of possessing the 
friendship of God, how many light faults escape his notice, for which 
he must make atonement! How many occasions of sin, to which he 
exposes himself, and against which he should have been on his guard! 
But penance is at the same time the remedy for sin and the preservative 
against it. It takes the place of the temporal punishment due to sins 
that have been forgiven, and banishes the temptation that might cause 
us to fall again. There is no one, says St. Augustine, whose conduct is 
so well regulated as that his virtue may not be stained by some light 
faults. 

“A just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again.” (Prov. 
xxiv, 16) 

Although those venial sins do not deprive us of the friendship of 
God, yet they are faults committed against His Divine Majesty. We 
must atone for them by a voluntary penance in this life, or suffer the 
rigors of divine justice in the fires of Purgatory in the next. More¬ 
over, although the mercy of God may have remitted the guilt of mortal 
sin and the eternal punishment due to it, yet His justice requires that the 
sinner should suffer temporal punishment, and so make some satisfac¬ 
tion. This is why a penance is imposed on the sinner in confession. 
But what is this penance compared with what he deserves ? We must, 
then, perform voluntary penances here, if we wish to escape the chas¬ 
tisements of God hereafter. 


PENANCE NECESSARY FOR THE SINNER 433 

However holy a man may be, he must do penance in order to pay off 
his debts; he must pray, fast, and practise mortification. Consider the 
case of David; he was assured of forgiveness, and yet he did not cease 
to weep: 

Every night I will wash my bed; I will water my couch with my 
tears.” (Ps. vi, 7) 

I am ready for scourges, and my sorrow is continually before me.” 
(Ps. xxxvii, 18) 

“I made haircloth my garment.” (Ps. lxviii, 12) 

Of Mary Magdalen Christ said: “Many sins are forgiven her, be¬ 
cause she hath loved much.” (Luke vii, 47) 

And yet, even after hearing these words, her life was one of the 
most rigorous penance. 

S. Paul, who was not conscious of any sin (“I am not conscious to 
myself, yet am I not thereby justified”; 1 Cor. iv, 4), yet says: 

I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps, when 
I have preached to others, I myself should become a cast-away.” (1 
Cor. ix, 27) 

“I do penance in dust and ashes.” (Job xlii, 6) 

“Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, 
and in mourning.” (Joel ii, 12) 

“Do penance, for the. kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matth. iii, 
2).” Bring forth fruits worthy of penance.” (Luke iii, 8) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Severity of penance, necessary and consoling. 

i°. A severe penance is necessary, because man, in judging and im¬ 
posing penance on himself, fulfils the office of the Great Judge: he 
should, therefore, judge himself with rigor. 

2°. In this matter man becomes the judge, not of another, but of 
himself: he must, therefore, be severe in his judgment. 

3 0 . From the judgment which man passes on himself there is an ap¬ 
peal to a higher judgment, that of God: he ought, therefore, to proceed 
with an inflexible justice. 

2. Severity of penance, consoling. 

i°. It brings peace to our conscience; 

2°. It fills us with the joy of the Holy Ghost. 



434 


NECESSITY OF PENANCE 


II 

We are indispensably obliged to do penance, 

1. Because the entire punishment due to sin is not usually remitted 
by the Sacrament of Penance; 

2. Because sin must be atoned for in this life or in the next. 

III 

Advantages of penance: 

1. It blots out our sins; 

2. It revives our merits; 

3. It restores us to the friendship of God; 

4. It delivers us from the punishment which our sins deserve; 

5. It procures for us the peace and happiness of a good conscience. 


LXXIII 


THE QUALITIES OF PENANCE 

“Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, 
and in mourning.” (Joel ii, 12) 

After a man has committed sin, penance is the only resource that re¬ 
mains to him for securing his salvation. 

“Penance is necessary for all men who, having committed any mortal 
sin, would return to the state of grace, even for those who seek to be 
cleansed in the Sacrament of Baptism.” (Council of Trent, S. 
xiv, c. 1) 

Therefore, practise penance joyfully, and secure for yourselves the 
friendship of God, by sincere sorrow of heart and the holy austerities 
of a mortified life. Remember that the least delay or a slothful negli¬ 
gence may cause your ruin. I. Let your penance be prompt; II. Let 
your penance be sincere. 

I. PENANCE SHOULD BE PROMPT 

It is rare to find sinners so hardened in crime that they never 
wish to turn away from it. They intend to do penance some day, and 
to give themselves to God, . . . but they continually defer doing so. 

“Tomorrow! Tomorrow! How long shall I cry out tomorrow ? 
Why not now, why not at this moment break the bonds that bind me to 
evil?” (S. Aug.) 

And yet (1) how injurious is this delay to God, and (2) how baneful 
to the sinner. 

1. To understand the injury you do to God in deferring your re¬ 
pentance, consider His goodness in predisposing the sinner, and in seek¬ 
ing for him in his evil ways. 

“Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you.” (Matth. xi, 28) 

“Turn ye to Me, and I will turn to you.” (Zach. i, 3) 

“Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities.” (Ezech. xviii, 

3 °) 

“Thou hast prostituted thyself to many lovers; nevertheless return to 
Me, saith the Lord, and I will receive thee.” (Jer. iii, 1) 

435 


436 THE QUALITIES OF PENANCE 

“They have laid hold on lying, and have refused to return.” (Jer. 
viii, 5 ) 

And the sinner does not yield to those loving invitations of Godl 
What base ingratitude! 

2. But how baneful that ingratitude, that resistance to the voice of 
God, becomes to the sinner! 

“Thou treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath.” 
(Rom. ii, 5) 

“I called and you refused; I stretched out My hand, and there was 
no one that regarded. You have despised all My counsel, and have 
neglected My reprehensions. I also will laugh at your destruction, and 
will mock when that shall come upon you which you feared.” (Prov. 
i, 24-26) 

“I go, and you shall seek Me, and you shall die in your sins.” (John 
viii, 21) 

“Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
day. For His wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of His 
vengeance He will destroy thee.” (Eccli. v, 8, 9) 

“Your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your 
sins have hid His face from you that He should not hear.” (Is. lix, 2) 

By doing penance promptly, then, you will be working for your own 
interests as well as for the glory of God. In deferring it you expose 
yourselves to great loss and to very grave danger. The little good 
which you do in a state of mortal sin is entirely without merit in the 
sight of God; your prayers, your fasts, your alms are worthless. 

“He that washeth himself from touching the dead, if he toucheth him 
again, what doth his washing avail ? So a man that fasteth for his sins, 
and doth the same again, what doth his humbling himself profit him? 
Who will hear His prayer?” (Eccli. xxxiv. 30, 31) 

You defer your repentance; are you then the sovereign disposer of 
your life ? May not death surprise you ? And even if you should have 
time to do penance, will God give you the grace to do it, after having 
so long resisted His holy will? But though you should have the time 
and the grace to do penance, you will not do it, because of the great 
difficulty you will experience,—a difficulty that will arise from the 
sinful habits you will have contracted. 

“Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee; and whose 
then shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke xii, 20) 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast bound with the 
ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22) 

“The night cometh when no man can work.” (John ix, 4) 


PENANCE MUST BE SINCERE 


437 


“Let mercy forget him, ... let him be broken in pieces as an un¬ 
fruitful tree. . . . God hath given him place for penance, and he 
abuseth it unto pride.” (Job xxiv, 20, 23) 

“A hard heart shall fare evil at the last; and he that loveth the danger 
shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the will of My Father.” (Matth. 
vii, 21) 

“I gave her a time that she might do penance, and she will not repent 
of her fornication. Behold, . . . they shall be in very great tribulation 
except they do penance from their deeds. . . . And I will give to every 
one of you according to your works.” (Apoc. ii, 21-23) 

“Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil is come down 
unto you [who are dying], having great wrath, knowing that he hath 
but a short time.” (Apoc. xii, 12) 

“Whilst we have time, let us work good.” (Gal. vi, 10) 

“The things that thou hast not gathered in thy youth, how shalt thou 
find them in thy old age?” (Eccli. xxv, 5) 

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts ix, 6) 

“The only answer I used to give you was the hesitating and 
drowsy one, soon: ‘Soon; give me a little more time’; but that soon 
had no limit, and that little time was turning out to be long.” (S. 

Aug.) 

“A happy death follows a good life. Sinners who repent while in 
health and persevere unto the end, die happily. But with regard to 
those who repent in their last illness, I say nothing, as I cannot say 
whether they die in a state of grace or not. Were I sure, I would tell 
them so and give them security. When I am not sure, I give penance, 
but not security. Do you wish, then, not to have doubt about your 
salvation, to escape uncertainty? If so, do penance while you are in 
health.” (S. Aug.) 

“The penance which is done by a sick man is sickly; that done by a 
dying man will, I fear, be dead itself.” (S. Aug.) 

“Penance turns aside the indignation of God.” (Tert.) 

II. PENANCE SHOULD BE SINCERE AND REAL 

Justice requires that there should be some equality between the satis¬ 
faction that is offered and the rights that have been violated. The 
penance, therefore, should be in some way proportionate to the injury 
which sin inflicts on God; it should re-establish the order disturbed by 
sin; it should make a new man of the sinner by reforming his heart 
and his life; and in order to do this, (1) it must spring from the 
heart: “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and put on the new 


438 THE QUALITIES OF PENANCE 

man” (Eph. iv, 23); and (2) it must be manifested in works: “As 
you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, so 
now yield your members to serve justice.” (Rom. vi, 19) 


1. It must spring from the heart 

The first office of penance is to reform the heart. This is the first 
satisfaction which the justice of God demands from the sinner: 

“Be converted to me with all your heart, . . . and rend your hearts 
and not your garments.” (Joel ii, 12, 13) 

“If thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; [but] 
with burnt offerings Thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is 
an afflicted spirit: a humble and contrite heart, O Lord, Thou wilt not 
despise/” (Ps. 1 , 18, 19) 

“Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have 
transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit. 
. . . Return ye and live.” (Ezech. xviii, 31, 32) 

“When thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him: 
yet so if thou shalt seek Him with all thy heart, and all the affection 
of thy soul.” (Deut. iv, 29) 

The sinner “hath not returned to Me with her whole heart, but with 
falsehood.” (Jerem. iii, 10) 

“Do not seek outside your own heart for a sacrifice; you have within 
you a sacrifice which you may offer up: a contrite heart.” (S. Aug.) 

But why does God demand the sacrifice of the heart in preference 
to any other? Because the whole malice of sin consists in the turning 
away of the heart from God. What is sin ? 

“Sin is a turning away of the heart from God and turning it to the 
creature.” (S. Thos.) 

If man’s actions are sins, it is the heart which communicates to them 
their malice. 

“From the heart go forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica¬ 
tions, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that 
defile a man.” (Matth. xv, 19, 20) 

To perform sincere penance, it is necessary first of all to change the 
heart, to hate what is loved, and to love what is hated. 

“Create a clean heart in me, O God.” (Ps. 1 , 12) 

“The sinner does not do penance unless he hates sin and loves God.” 
(S. Aug.) 

But this hatred of sin is not simply a dislike of its deformity. The 
sinner must hate the matter, the cause, the occasion of sin; he must 
renounce that object, quit that society, restore unjustly acquired goods, 
repair the injury done. 


PENANCE MUST BE SINCERE 439 

“If I have wronged any man of anything, I restore to him fourfold.” 
(Luke xix, 8) 

“If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange 
gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth; and prepare your hearts 
unto the Lord, and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of 
the hands of the Philistines.” (1 Kings vii, 3) 

“The Lord beholdeth the heart.” (1 Kings xvi, 7) 

“The searcher of hearts and reins is God.” (Ps. vii, 10) 

2. It must be manifested in works 

To be content with a pretended renewal of the mind and heart, with¬ 
out changing one’s manners and conduct, is to stop half-way; it is even 
to cause doubts as to the change of heart, which, if real and sincere, 
should produce fruits. 

“Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of penance.” (Luke iii, 8) 

“Decline from evil and do good.” (Ps. xxxvi, 27) 

“Wash yourselves: be clean. Take away the evil of your devices 
from my eyes. Cease to do perversely. Learn to do well. Seek judg¬ 
ment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge for the fatherless. Defend the 
widow.” (Is. i, 16, 17) 

“Penance must produce fruit in order to obtain life.” (S. Aug.) 

It is not enough, then, to abandon the ways of sin; we must walk in 
the paths of justice; we must fulfil our duties towards God by giving 
to Him the adoration, love, and respect that are due to Him; towards 
our neighbor: duties of charity and justice;^—towards ourselves: duties 
of sobriety, chastity, and penance. 

“Change the heart and the works will be changed.” (S. Aug.) 

“Thy speech doth discover thee.” (Matth. xxvi, 73) 

“By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of 
thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matth. vii, 16) 

“They loved Him with their mouth; and with their mouth and with 
their tongues they lied unto Him. But their heart was not right with 
Him.” (Ps. lxxvii, 36, 37) 

In order to bring forth fruits worthy of penance, we must atone for 
sin by exterior works that mortify the body as well as the soul, since 
the body has been the accomplice of the soul in doing evil. 

“You have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity 
unto iniquity.” (Rom. vi, 19) 

This is why severe penances were imposed by the early Church 
for certain sins. Would a sinner, in fact, be punished sufficiently by 
simply detesting the sins of his past life, by ceasing to do evil? If it 
were so, reconciliation with God would not be as difficult as the Holy 
Scriptures tell us it is. 


440 


THE QUALITIES OF PENANCE 

“The penance lasts longer than the sin, lest the sin might be con¬ 
sidered of small account, if, when it ended, the penance also ended.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“If a man could quickly return to his former health, it would be 
pastime for him to fall into death by sinning.” (S. Aug.) 

“Be not deceived: God is not mocked. For what things a man shall 
sow, those also shall he reap.” (Gal. vi, 7, 8) 

“Hear ye [therefore], ye scornful men, . . . who have said: We 
have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant 
with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall 
not come upon us; for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood 
we are protected. Therefore thus saith the Lord : . . . Hail shall over¬ 
turn the hope of falsehood, and waters shall overflow its protection. 
And your league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with 
hell shall not stand.” (Is. xxviii, 14-18) 

“As much as she hath lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow 
give ye to her.” (Apoc. xviii, 7) 

“They that are Christ’s have crucified their flesh with the vices and 
concupiscences.” (Gal. v, 24) 

“I call the man repentant who weeps day and night, who casts away 
his bad habits, who goes not after his concupiscences, and deprives him¬ 
self of his sinful pleasures.” (S. Aug.) 

“We promise penance by words, but we do nothing.” (S. Greg. 
Nyss.) 

“My son, hast thou sinned? Do so no more; but for thy former 
sins also pray that they may be forgiven thee.” (Eccli. xxi, 1) 

“Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, 
and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate and 
strait is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it.” 
(Matth. vii, 13, 14) 

“Let him who is wise, and who seriously strives to save his soul, 
listen. This is the word of eternal wisdom:— Strive to enter .” (S. 

Aug.) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Penance should be severe and rigorous, in order that it may satisfy 
the divine justice. “Penance fulfils the office of the anger of God.” 
(Tert.) 

2. It should be constant and lasting . 

3. It should be proportioned to the number and the malice of the sins. 



PENANCE MUST BE SINCERE 


441 


The efficacy of penance arises from the fruits which it produces; and 
these fruits are reduced to three: 

1. To remove the cause of sin; 

2. To repair the effects of sin; 

3. To subject the sinner to the remedies against sin. 

II 

To do penance is to change the mind, the heart, the life . 

1. To change the mind is to despise in a spirit of penance all that one 
esteemed in the state of sin, and to esteem what one despised. 

2. To change the heart is to hate what was loved and to love what 
was hated. 

3. To change the life is to avoid the works that were done in sin, 
and to do what one then avoided doing. 


LXXIV 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 

“Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord.” (Lament, 
iii, 40) 

The Sacrament of Penance was instituted for the remission of sine 
committed after Baptism. Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles and their 
successors in the episcopal and sacerdotal ministry, the power to for¬ 
give and to retain sins. 

“Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose 
sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (John xx, 23) 

But how could priests exercise the power of forgiving sins if the 
people were not obliged to declare those sins ? “Therefore the keys of 
the Church have been given in vain.” (S. Aug.) In order that a 
penitent may make a true declaration of his sins, he must know him¬ 
self, he must examine himself, he must make an exact and careful 
search for the sins he has committed. Consider: I. What should 
form the matter of the examination; II. What rule should be followed 
in making it. 


I. MATTER OF THE EXAMINATION 

As confession is based upon the examination of conscience, it follows 
that this examination should include all the sins of which the penitent 
is bound to accuse himself in confession. But in order to render the 
confession entire, the penitent must accuse himself of all mortal sins, of 
their number, and of the circumstances which aggravate their guilt. 
He must accuse himself of all the sins he has committed against the 
commandments of God and of the Church, of all sinful thoughts, 
desires, and words, of all deeds and omissions of which he has been 
guilty towards God, towards his neighbor, and towards himself. He 
must also make known the causes and the effects of his sins, the sinful 
occasions in which he has been, the habits he has contracted, the sins of 
his state and condition in life. He must tell not only the sins he him¬ 
self has committed, but also the sins he has made others commit, or 
which he has not prevented when he could have done so; all the scandal 
he has given, all the injury he has caused his neighbor in goods or repu- 

442 


EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 


443 

tation. He must further declare the circumstances of time, place, 
quantity, object, quality of person, by reason of which a sin becomes 
notably graver or changes its species. But how can he declare all this 
if he does not know it ? And how can he know it without examining his 
conscience ? 

‘‘I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 

“I will declare my iniquity, and I will think for my sin.” (Ps. 
xxxvii, 19) 

“She hath looked well to the paths of her house.” (Prov. xxxi, 27) 

“I will seek Thy commandments with all my heart. . . . Depart from 
me, ye malignant, and I will search the commandments of my God.” 
(Ps. cxviii, 69, 115) 

“I have acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my injustice I have not 
concealed.” (Ps. xxxi, 5) 

“Set thee up a watch-tower, make to thee bitterness: direct thy heart 
into the right way.” (Jer. xxxi, 21) 

“The sinner should examine himself diligently, and explore all the 
folds and hiding-places of his conscience.” (Council of Trent, S. xiv, 

c - 5) 

“Though you should know all mysteries; though you should know the 
utmost limits of the earth, the highest heavens, and the depths of the 
sea,—if you do not know yourself, you will be like to a man who builds 
a house without a foundation, erecting a ruin, not a building. He is 
not wise who does not know himself. Let your examination begin with 
yourself, and not that only, but let it be also ended in yourself; where¬ 
soever it may wander, you will recall it to yourself with profit to your 
soul.” (S. Bern.) 

“Make a daily examination of your life; consider diligently how 
much you are advancing or falling back, what you are in your manners 
and disposition.” (S. Bern.) 

“Diligently examine thy conscience, and to the best of thy power 
cleanse and purify it by true contrition and humble confession; so as 
not to have or know of any thing to give thee remorse and hinder thy 
free access.” ( Imit ., Bk. IV, c. 7) 

II. WHAT RULE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED IN MAKING THE 
EXAMINATION, AND HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD BE 
GIVEN TO IT 

i. The infallible rule is the examination which God Himself will 
make of the sins of men. And how strict this examination will be! 

“It shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with 
lamps, and will visit upon the men that are settled upon their lees, 


444 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


that say in their hearts: The Lord will not do good, nor will he do 
evil. ,, (Sophon. i, 12) 

“The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of 
minds.” (1 Paral. xxviii, 9) 

“Watch . . . lest God discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the 
midst of the congregation.” (Eccli. i, 38, 39) 

“I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will show thy nakedness 
to the nations, and thy shame to the kingdoms.” (Nahum iii, 5) 

“Nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor hid that shall not 
be known.” (Matth. x, 26) 

“If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread 
forth our hands to a strange god; shall not God search those things? 
For He knoweth the secrets of hearts.” (Ps. xliii, 21, 22) 

“Give an account of thy stewardship.” (Luke xvi, 2) 

“What shall I, a poor wretch, then say when the Judge comes to make 
a strict examination of all things?” (Offic. Defunct.) 

“What woman, ... if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle and 
sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it?” (Luke xv, 8) 

That which you have lost is much more precious than this groat; 
you have lost divine grace, and you can recover it only by confession 
preceded by a diligent examination. 

“If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Cor. 

xi, 30 

“Search ye diligently in the book of the Lord, and read; not one of 
them was wanting.” (Is. xxxiv, 16) 

“After each one has carefully examined his conscience, and explored 
all its folds and corners, let him confess those sins by which he remem¬ 
bers that he has mortally offended his Lord and God.” (Council of 
Trent, S. xiv, c. 5) 

“If, after a diligent examination of conscience, you fail to recall a 
mortal sin which has escaped your memory, your confession is good and 
that sin is pardoned with the rest; but you are bound to confess it after¬ 
wards and to confess it explicitly. You are not obliged to make all your 
past confessions over again; but you might say that you confessed 
other sins in the confession in which the sin you now explicitly con¬ 
fess, was forgotten.” (S. Thos.) 

2. How much time should be given to the examination? No general 
rule can be laid down; so much depends on the number of sins each 
one has committed, and the time that has elapsed since his last 
confession. 

No one doubts that a sinner who offends God frequently, and rarely 
goes to confession, should employ more time in examining his con¬ 
science, than one who seldom offends God and often confesses. And 


EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 


445 


yet it is the habitual sinners, who seldom go to confession, that give 
least time to this examination. Ah! this is not how they act in tempo¬ 
ral affairs in which they are interested. 

“The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the 
children of light.” (Luke xvi, 8) 

“Son of Man, dig in the wall. ... Go in, and see the wicked abom¬ 
inations . . . and behold every form of creeping things, and of living 
creatures, the abomination.” (Ezech. viii, 8-10) 

“Who can understand [his] sins?” (Ps. xviii, 13) 

“They do not consider in their mind, nor know, nor have the thought.” 
(Is. xliv, 19) 

“He would not understand that he might do well.” (Ps. xxxv, 4) 
“Why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, and seest not 
the beam that is in thy own eye?” (Matth. vii, 3) 

“They discuss the affairs of others, but do not attend to their own.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“Why does he not see? His eyes are made heavy by many sins.” 
(S. Aug.) 

In order to make this examination with care, withdraw into some 
quiet place, and there in silence and recollection, “as a sparrow all alone 
on the house top” (Ps. ci, 8), say to God with all the fervor of which 
you are capable: 

“Lord, let me know myself, let me know Thee.” (S. Aug.) 

“How many are my iniquities and sins? make me know my crimes 
and offences.” (Job xiii, 23) 

“My God, enlighten my darkness.” (Ps. xvii, 29) 

“Give me understanding, and I will search Thy law.” (Ps. cxviii, 34) 
“Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my 
eyes? and I will weep day and night.” (Jer. ix, 1) 

“I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of Thy 
justice.” (Ps. cxviii, 106) 

“This do, and thou shalt live.” (Luke x, 28) 


Divisions 

I 

1. There is nothing more useful than to make an examination of 
conscience every evening, in order to discover our weakness and to 
break off bad habits. 

2. Neglect of this examination may have fatal consequences, since 
in omitting it we risk our eternal salvation. 

3. We must not be content with a superficial examination; we must 



446 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


enter seriously into ourselves, and carefully examine all our thoughts, 
words, and actions of the day. 


II 

The particular examination. 

1. The particular examination differs from the general, in as much as 
it concerns one sin only, or one fault which we wish to correct. 

2. In the particular examination we must direct our efforts to con¬ 
quering our predominant vice, or that which may have the saddest con¬ 
sequences for us. 

3. The way to make this examination is to form, at morning prayer, 
the resolution to avoid the fault which we have undertaken to combat, 
to employ the means necessary for that purpose, and to compare one 
day with another so as to see whether we are making progress or not. 


LXXV 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 
CONTRITION 

“A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 1, 
19 ) 

God pardons our sins the moment we detest them with all our heart, 
as He wishes. I will speak to you of this sorrow that wipes away sin. 
It is a subject so much the more important because many confessions 
are null and sacrilegious owing to the absence of true sorrow. Some 
are altogether wanting in contrition; in others the contrition does not 
possess the conditions which God requires before He pardons the sinner. 
Let us see then: I. The necessity of contrition; II. The qualities of 
contrition. 


I. NECESSITY OF CONTRITION 

“Contrition, which holds the first place among the acts of the peni¬ 
tent, is a grief of heart and hatred of the sins committed, together with 
a resolution not to commit sin again.” (Council of Trent, S. xiv, c. 4) 

Thus, contrition should embrace both the past and the future. 

“To repent is to weep for the offences committed, and in weeping to 
be determined not to commit them again.” (S. Greg.) 

“These two things, namely, sorrow for past sins, and a purpose and 
caution to avoid in future the commission of sins, have been always 
necessary to obtain the forgiveness of sin.” (Council of Trent, as 
above) 

God has never forgiven and never will forgive actual sin except on 
condition that the sinner repent. This is a truth of which (1) the 
Holy Scriptures, and (2) reason furnish undeniable proofs. 


1. Necessity of Contrition Proved from Scripture 

What does God first demand from sinners who wish to recover His 
jrace ? 

“Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have trans¬ 
gressed, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezech. 
cviii, 31) 

“Rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord, your 
Sod.” (Joel ii, 13) 


447 


448 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 

“Return to Me, and I will return to you, saith the Lord.” (Malach. 

7 ) 

“Turn ye to Me, and I will turn to you.” (Zach. i, 3) 

David obtained pardon of his sin only through the sincere sorrow 
which he felt for it. 

“My bones are troubled, and my soul is troubled exceedingly. . . . 
I have labored in my groanings; every night I wash my bed; I will 
water my couch with my tears.” (Ps. vi, 3, 4, 7) 

“A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a humble and contrite 
heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 1 , 19) 

“My sorrow is continually before me.” (Ps. xxxvii, 18) 

“He sinned one night, he weeps every night.” (S. Ephrem) 

“I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 

“My sorrow is above sorrow, my heart mourneth within me.” (Jer. 
viii, 18) 

“Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 

xhi, 3) 

But penance consists principally in sorrow for sin, in a change of 
heart; without this sorrow, without this change, the other works of 
penance are of little use. 

“These are ghosts and shadows of penance.” (S. Chrys.) 

Contrition is more necessary to salvation than confession, since sor¬ 
row, accompanied by a desire to confess, can in certain cases supply 
the place of actual confession, whereas nothing can supply the place 
of sorrow. 

“You must hate your work in yourself, otherwise God will not save 
His work in you.” (S. Aug.) 

“What will it profit a man to confess his sins, if he is not heartily 
sorry for them?” (S. Greg.) 

2. Reason proves the necessity of contrition 

God can pardon man’s sin only by changing His disposition towards 
the sinner, that is to say, by feeling love for him instead of the hatred 
which He had conceived against him. But God changes His disposi¬ 
tion towards the sinner only when the sinner turns to Him with his 
whole heart. What does man do when he commits sin? He turns 
away from and leaves God in order to attach himself to a creature. 
This preferring of a creature to God is the work of the heart; it is, 
therefore, necessary that the heart should change again and return to 
God. 

“No one does penance unless he loves God and hates sin,” (S. Aug.) 


QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 449 

“Any one can say that he does not sin; but no ignorance will dare 
to say if he has sinned, that he need not repent.” (Id.) 

“Children excepted, no one begins to be what he was not, unless he 
repents having been what he was.” (Id.) 

The sinner, then, can hope for pardon only when his heart is broken, 
changed by a contrition which causes him to hate sin and to return to 
God. 

But what is this contrition which is necessary for justification? It 
is an act of the will which withdraws from, detests, and hates sin, and 
repents of having committed it; and which makes the sinner determined 
never to sin again. 

It is not enough, therefore, to be determined never again to sin; 
the sinner must be sincerely sorry. 

“Be penitent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be 
blotted out.” (Acts iii, 19) 


II. QUALITIES OF A GOOD CONTRITION 

Contrition, to be pleasing to God and beneficial to the sinner, should 
be, (1) supernatural in its source and motives; (2) universal in its ob¬ 
ject; and (3) efficacious and firm in its resolution. 

1. It should he supernatural in its source and motives 

That is to say, i°. it should be produced by a movement of grace, 
and 2 0 . founded on considerations of faith. 

i°. Contrition is a disposition of mind proximately disposing the sinner 
to justification. But faith teaches that everything which proximately 
disposes us to justification should be supernatural, that is, it should 
come from the Holy Ghost; because justification itself is a supernatural 
gift, which is not due to man, and which cannot be attributed to his own 
powers. Contrition is a movement of the Holy Spirit, a gift of God. 
We must then ask for it in fervent prayer. 

“Convert us, O Lord, to Thee, and we shall be converted.” (Lament, 
v, 21) 

“Create a clean heart in me, O Lord.” (Ps. 1 , 12) 

“After Thou didst convert me, I did penance.” (Jer. xxxi, 19) 

“They shall remember Me, because I have broken their heart, that 
was faithless and revolted from me.” (Ezech. vi, 9) 

God is always ready to help us. 

“Is it My will that a sinner should die, and not that he should be con¬ 
verted from his ways and live?” (Ezech. xviii, 23) 

But we must ask this help from Him in prayer. We must act in or- 


450 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


der to correspond with grace, and be influenced by the motives of sorrow 
which it proposes to us. 

2°. What are the supernatural motives for contrition? 

They are those considerations which Faith puts before us in order to 
make us hate sin, by inducing us to consider what it is in reference to 
God and to our salvation. 

“And the holy Synod teaches that if it sometimes happens that this 
contrition is perfect in charity, it reconciles us with God, before the 
Sacrament is actually received.” (Council of Trent, S. xiv, c. 4) 

How far removed from this supernatural grief is that sorrow which 
is produced by human motives only. 

“This wicked man [Antiochus] prayed to the Lord, of whom he was 
not to obtain mercy.” (2 Mach, ix, 13) 

“The sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Cor. vii, 10) 

The swindler who repents because he fears punishment is still a 
swindler. 

“The raging wolf comes, the frightened wolf goes away; but whether 
raging or frightened, he is still a wolf.” (S. Aug.) 

“Many weep: I also weep, and I weep for those who weep in vain.” 

(Id.) 


2. It should he universal in its object 

If your sorrow springs from a supernatural motive, it will be universal 
in its object; that is to say, you will detest all your sins without ex¬ 
ception. It would be useless to offer to God a heart that would be 
sorry for certain sins only, while remaining attached to objects that 
would render it guilty before His Sovereign Majesty. 

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is be¬ 
come guilty of all.” (Jas. ii, 10) 

“Great as the sea is thy sorrow.” (Lament, ii, 13) 

“I have hated every way of iniquity.” (Ps. cxviii, 104) 

3. It should he efficacious and firm in its purpose of amendment 

If contrition includes the hatred of sin and the love of God, can the 
sinner hate sin without being resolved to avoid it? Can we love God 
as He should be loved, without being disposed to observe His com¬ 
mandments ? 

But this good purpose should be accompanied by a firm resolution to 
resist temptation and to avoid the occasions of sin. 

“I have sworn and am determined the keep the judgments of Thy 
justice.” (Ps. cxviii, 106) 


QUALITIES OF CONTRITION 451 

“If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall 
not fear.” (Ps. xxvi, 3) 

“Who, then, shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribula¬ 
tion ? or distress ? or famine ? or nakedness ? or danger ? or persecution ? 
or the sword?” (Rom. viii, 35) 

“Love is strong as death.” (Cant, viii, 6) 

“Nothing is difficult to him who loves.” (S. Aug.) 

“By their fruits you shall know them.” (Matth. vii, 16) 

“Go, and now sin no more.” (John viii, 11) 

“Behold thou art made whole; sin no more, lest some worse thing 
happen to thee.” (John v, 14) 

“He who does penance ought not only to wipe out his sins with his 
tears, but also to cover up and bury his past sins by better deeds.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“He who does what he repents of is a scoffer and not a penitent.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“Let flight from the opportunity and withdrawal from the occasion be 
signs of true sorrow.” (S. Bern.) 

“Sorrow without amendment is certainly false.” (Tert.) 

“When Saul said: T have sinned/ why did he not get the same an¬ 
swer that David got? Is God an acceptor of persons? God forbid. 
The words, indeed, of Saul and David were similar, but quite different 
were the dispositions of their hearts.” (S. Aug.) 

“Penitents, penitents! If you are indeed penitents and not scoffers, 
change your life. What will it profit you, O penitents! to be humbled 
if you are not changed?” (Id.) 

“O Lord, my God, give sorrow to my heart, grief to my soul, and a 
fountain of tears to my eyes.” (S. Anselm) 


Division 

1. How should the sorrow of a true penitent be? 

i°. It should be supernatural in its source and in its motives. 

2°. It should be interior: “Be sorry in your beds; that is in your 
hearts.” (S. Aug.) 

3 0 . It should be sovereign and universal. 

4 0 . It should be efficacious, and include a firm purpose of amendment. 

2. How long should this sorrow last? 

True contrition should be permanent. It is necessary to have it, 

i°. When one confesses; and 

2 0 . After having confessed; and 

3 0 . One should persevere in it until death. 



LXXVI 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 
CONFESSION 

“Go, shew thyself to the priest.” (Matth. viii, 4) 

“I confess my sins.” (Gen. xli, 9) 

Among the Christians of the present day there are some who, by a 
deplorable blindness, have a great dislike for confession. There are 
others who go to confession more or less frequently, but there is good 
reason to fear that many of them do not make their confession as they 
should. May I point out a remedy for these evils in showing: I. The 
necessity of confession; II. The qualities it should have. 

I. THE NECESSITY OF CONFESSION 

Why should we confess our sins? We should do so in order to obey 
Jesus Christ, who wishes that our sins should be forgiven by His priests. 

“Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose 
sins you shall retain, they are retained/’ (John xx, 23) 

“Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in 
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed 
also in heaven.” (Matth. xvi, 19) 

Jesus Christ then appointed them to be judges of consciences; but 
they cannot pronounce an enlightened judgment if they do not know the 
sins; sinners must, therefore, make them known. 

“From the institution of the Sacrament of Penance the universal 
Church has always understood that the entire confession of sins was 
also instituted by the Lord, and is necessary for all who have fallen after 
Baptism. ... It is evident that priests could not exercise this judg¬ 
ment without knowing the cause; nor could they even observe equity in 
imposing punishment if these [penitents] declared their sins in general 
only and not rather singly and according to the species. Hence it is 
inferred that all mortal sins, which they recall to mind after a diligent 
examination of conscience, must be mentioned in confession, even 
though they are most secret.” (Council of Trent, S. xiv, c. 5) 

In the Old Law God enjoined a practice which was an image and 
figure of sacramental confession: 

“This is the rite of a leper, when he is to be cleansed, He shall be 

452 


THE NECESSITY OF CONFESSION 


453 


brought to the priest: who going out of the camp, when he shall find 
that the leprosy is cleansed, shall command him that is to be purified to 
offer for himself two living sparrows.” (Levit. xiv, 2) 

“Priests have received the power, I do not say, to judge that the 
body has been purified from leprosy, and the soul from stain, but to 
purify them directly.” (S. Chrys.) 

The Sacrament of Penance is absolutely necessary to those who have 
fallen into sin after Baptism. 

“To those who have fallen after Baptism the Sacrament of Penance 
is as necessary for salvation as Baptism itself to those who have not 
yet been regenerated.” (Council of Trent, S. xiv, c. 2) 

“After the promulgation of the Gospel the change from that state 
in which man is born a child of the first Adam, into the state of grace, 
can be effected only by the bath of regeneration, or by a desire to re¬ 
ceive it.” (Council of Trent, S. vi, c. 5) 

“When a man or woman shall have committed any of all the sins 
that men are wont to commit, or by negligence shall have transgressed 
the commandment of the Lord, and offended, they shall confess their 
sin.” (Num. v, 6, 7) 

“My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel; and confess, and 
tell me what thou hast done.” (Jos. vii, 19) 

“Give glory before death. Praise perisheth from the dead as noth¬ 
ing. Give thanks whilst thou art living, whilst thou art alive and in 
health thou shalt give thanks, and shalt praise God, and shalt glory in 
His mercies. How great is the mercy of the Lord, and His forgiveness 
to them that turn to Him.” (Eccli. xvii, 26-28) 

“Many of them that believed, came confessing and declaring their 
deeds.” (Acts xix, 18) 

“Confess therefore your sins one to another.” (Jas. v, 16) 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.” (1 John i, 9) 

“Let a man prove himself.” (1 Cor. xi, 28) 

“The sins must necessarily be known to those to whom is confided the 
dispensing of the mysteries of God.” (S. Basil) 

“Let no one say: I deal in secret with God. Has it then been said 
without cause: whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed 
also in Heaven? Have the keys of the Church of God been given 
without cause? We frustrate the Gospel, we make vain the words of 
Christ.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let no one say: I do penance in my heart. If you wish Heaven 
to be opened to you, you must open your mouth to the priest: this is 
the only entrance to paradise.” (S. Aug.) 

“Go forth, you who lie sick in the darkness of your conscience, and 


454 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


in the filth of your sins, make known your sin that you may be justified, 
for by the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (S. Ambr.) 

'‘The priest must hear the different kinds of sins, so that he may 
know what to bind and what to loose.” (S. Jerome) 

“Let those who have the keys of the kingdom of heaven judge be¬ 
fore the day of judgment.” (S. Jer.) 

“You have sinned many times, repent many times; receive the anti¬ 
dote unceasingly.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Mount up into the tribunal of your mind, there judge yourself; let 
fear torture you, let confession break out.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let him who wishes to confess in order to find grace, seek a priest 
who knows how to bind and to loose; lest, being neglectful regarding 
himself, he may be neglected by Him who mercifully warns him.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“There is nothing more advantageous to man, nothing more helpful 
to salvation, than to confess a sin immediately after it has been com¬ 
mitted.” (S. Jerome) 

“Confession is an act by which we acknowledge our sins to our Lord, 
not as to one who is ignorant of them, but in order that the satisfac¬ 
tion may be determined by the confessor.” (Tert.) 

“Confession is prostrating oneself at the feet of a priest, in order that 
eternal punishment may be cancelled by temporal pain. When there¬ 
fore it casts a man down, it rather raises him up; when it accuses, it ex¬ 
cuses; when it condemns, it absolves.” (Tert.) 

“Confession heals, confession justifies, confession obtains pardon of 
sins: all hope is placed in confession. In confession is the seat of 
mercy; there is no fault so grave that it may not receive pardon by 
confession.” (S. Isid.) 

II. THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD CONFESSION 

If priests are judges appointed by Jesus Christ, whose place they 
hold, to pronounce judgment in the case of sinners, these must confess 
their sins to priests with the same sincerity and the same humility as 
if they were telling them to Jesus Christ Himself, with (i) a great sin¬ 
cerity, so as to conceal nothing, (2) with a profound humility, making 
no excuse, two qualities essential to confession. 

1. The sinner must confess his sins with sincerity 

What do you mean, rash sinners, who confess a certain number of 
mortal sins, while you conceal others? 

“Thou hast not lied to men, but to God.” (Acts v, 4) 

“Iniquity hath lied to itself.” (Ps. xxvi, 12) 

“Woe is me, because I have held my peace.” (Is. vi, 5) 


455 


THE QUALITIES OF CONFESSION 

Do you not know that one mortal sin is not forgiven unless all the 
other mortal sins also are pardoned?—that you commit a fresh sin, a 
sacrilege ? What do you mean ? Either you do or you do not wish to 
save your soul. If you do not wish to save it, it is useless to confess 
your sins; but if you sincerely desire to be saved, you must make use 
of the means necessary to obtain pardon of your sins. But there is no 
other means than that of confessing them all, and this you must do 
sooner or later if you wish to be reconciled with God. 

“He that hideth his sins shall not prosper: but he that shall confess 
and forsake them, shall obtain mercy.” (Prov. xxviii, 13) 

“The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is hidden. The sor¬ 
rows of a woman in labor shall come upon him.” (Os. xiii, 12, 13) 

“It is a common fault of mankind both to commit a sin in concealing 
and to hide the sin committed in denying.” (S. Greg.) 

“Doth not He [God] consider my ways. . . . If as a man I have hid 
my sin, and have concealed my iniquity in my bosom.” (Job xxxi, 4, 

33) 

“I have acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my injustice I have not 
concealed.” (Ps. xxxi, 5) 

“I have not concealed my sins, but I have laid them bare, that You 
might cover them up; I have laid them bare so that You might hide 
them; for when man lays them bare God covers them; when man con¬ 
ceals them, God lays them bare, when man acknowledges, God pardons.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“The sin ought to be told in the confession just as it was in the com¬ 
mission.” (S. Greg.) 

“[But, alas!] Our remedy often becomes the devil’s triumph.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

You say: I am ashamed to confess my sins to a man like myself; 
what opinion will he have of me? No doubt there is reason for shame; 
but which do you prefer,—that your sins be known now to one man, 
who is bound to inviolable secrecy, or that they be one day revealed to 
the whole human race? 

“I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will shew thy nakedness 
to the nations, and thy shame to kingdoms.” (Nahum iii, 5) 

“For thy soul be not ashamed to say the truth. For there is a shame 
that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that bringeth glory and grace. 
. . . Be not ashamed to confess thy sins.” (Eccli. iv, 24, 25, 31) 

“When the Judge shall take His seat, He shall make known whatever 
will be hidden.” ( Eccl . Off.) 

“Those who are unwilling to suffer a salutary confusion now, will 
suffer shame to their destruction on the day of judgment.” (S. Aug.) 


456 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


“Besides, it is better to bear a little shame before one, than to wither 
away [through shame] before so many millions of men on the day of 
judgment, when pointed out by being driven away from God.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Why do you blush to confess your sins? I am a sinner as you; 
I am a man; I do not think that anything human is foreign to me; 
man confesses to man; man a sinner to man a sinner.” (S. Aug.) 

“O man, why do you fear to confess your sins? That which I know 
in this way I know less than that which I do not know at all.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“What is more miserable, what more perverse, than not to be ashamed 
of the wound itself, which cannot remain concealed, and to be ashamed 
of the binding up of that wound?” (S. Aug.) 

“Be not ashamed to say before one what you were not ashamed per¬ 
haps to say and do before many.” (S. Aug.) 

“How can a doctor heal what a sick man is ashamed to make known ?” 
(S. Jerome) 

“He who conceals his sins and blushes to confess them to his ad¬ 
vantage, shall be punished by the same God who will judge him.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Why do you fear to confess what you have committed willingly 
and without hesitation?” (S. Jerome) 

“They shall perish with their shame.” (Tert.) 

“When Satan knew that sin causes shame and that penance produces 
confidence, that evil spirit inverted the order: he made the penitent 
feel shame and the sinner confidence.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Those who are not ashamed to do evil are ashamed to confess it.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“If you are now ashamed to explain your sin to a man who is himself 
liable to sin, what will you do on the day of judgment, when your con¬ 
science will be laid bare before all?” (S. Bern.) 

“O perversity! not to feel shame at being defiled, and to feel shame 
at being cleansed!” (S. Bern.) 

“Why are you ashamed to confess your sin, which you were not 
ashamed to commit? Why blush to confess to God, from whose eyes 
nothing can be hidden?” (S. Bern.) 

“Our God, who is good and merciful, wishes us to confess our sins 
in this world so that we may not be confounded by them in the next.” 
(S ; Aug.) 

“In confession we anticipate His coming. Let us condemn our¬ 
selves by confessing what we have done, so that when He comes, He 
may find in us what to reward and not what to punish.” (S. Aug.) 


THE QUALITIES OF CONFESSION 


457 


2. The sinner must have profound humility, making no excuse 

The sinner must confess his sins with humility. To make use of 
artifices or evasions, to mitigate certain circumstances, to make excuses 
regarding the cause or the occasion of sin, in order to lessen the shame 
and confusion, is what pride causes a great number of penitents to do. 
Thus the passionate man throws the blame of his anger, his oaths, his 
curses, on his company, his children, his servants, etc. 

“Adam said: The woman whom Thou gavest me to be my com¬ 
panion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said 
to the woman: Why hast thou done this ? And she answered: The 
serpent deceived me and I did eat.” (Gen. iii, 12, 13) 

“Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why dost thou feign thyself to 
be another? But I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.” (3 Kings 
xiv, 6) 

“Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins.” (Ps. 
cxl, 4) 

“Humble thy soul to the ancient.” (Eccli. iv, 7) 

“If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me; if I 
would shew myself innocent, He shall prove me wicked.” (Job ix, 20) 

“Wherefore I will not spare my mouth, I will speak in the affliction 
of my spirit.” (Job vii, 11) 

“Let others wonder at the chastity of holy Job, at the integrity of 
his justice, at the depth of his piety; I admire in him the humble con¬ 
fession of sins not less than so many sublime acts of virtue.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“God requires confession in order to pardon the humble; He con¬ 
demns him who does not confess in order to punish the proud.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“You have become the defender of your sins; how will God be 
your deliverer? In order then that He may be your deliverer, be 
yourself your own accuser.” (Id.) 

“To discover one’s sin, and to reveal it in confession when discovered, 
are signs of true humility.” (S. Greg.) 

“If you wish to be justified, confess your sins; for a humble con¬ 
fession of sins bursts asunder the bonds of crime.” (S. Ambr.) 

“We should be ashamed of our fault and correct instead of defend¬ 
ing it, since the fault is lessened by shame, but is made greater by 
defence.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Confession of sins comforts as much as concealment of them gives 
pain.” (Tert.) 

“Penance is the discipline of a humble and prostrate man.” (Id.) 


458 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


“This is a new kind of judgment, in which if the criminal excuses 
himself, he is condemned; if he accuses himself, he is pardoned.” 
(^Zeno) 

“You excuse yourself and shut up your heart; you shut in the sin 
and exclude the pardon of the sin.” (S. Aug.) 

“Forget not hell, which confession extinguishes for you.” (Pacian) 
“Confess humbly, plainly, and faithfully everything that disturbs 
your conscience.” (S. Bern.) 

“All hope of forgiveness and peace is in a true confession; for pre¬ 
tended confession is not confession, but a twofold confusion.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“I said, I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord; and 
Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.” (Ps. xxxi, 5) 

“The Lord also hath taken away thy sin.” (2 Kings xii, 13) 
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are 
covered.” (Ps. xxxi, 1) 

“Let us go, therefore, with confidence to the throne of grace, that 
we may obtain mercy.” (Hebr. iv, 16) 

“For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 
“Go, shew yourselves to the priests.” (Luke xvii, 14) 

“That your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts iii, 19) 


LXXVII 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 

FREQUENT CONFESSION 

“Go, shew yourselves to the priests” (Luke xvii, 14) 

What Christ Himself said to those lepers, He commands us to say to 
sinners who are covered with the leprosy of sin, and of whom these 
lepers were a figure. Sinners who wish to be absolved from their sins, 
must present themselves in the tribunal of Penance to those to whom 
Jesus Christ has said: “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are for¬ 
given them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (John 
xx, 23). How great are the advantages of confession! In the hope 
that I may induce you frequently to approach the tribunal of Penance, 
I undertake to-day to show you: I. What are the advantages of good 
and frequent confession; II. What is the misfortune of those who keep 
away from confession. 

I. THE ADVANTAGES OF GOOD AND FREQUENT CONFESSION 

It must be admitted that confession is a yoke of some weight. It is 
painful to acknowledge our guilt. But are not the pain and the bitter¬ 
ness softened by the advantages we find in them? In reality, what 
blessings does not confession bring, (1) to sinners, (2) to the just. 

1. To sinners 

How deplorable is the state of the sinner! He is an enemy of God, 
a slave of the demon, deserving the pains of hell. Ah! how can sinners 
remain for one moment in such a state? Why do they not have re¬ 
course to the remedy that will guarantee them against eternal, death ? 
This remedy is confession, which can: i°. Blot out their sins and 
reconcile them with God; 2 0 . restore to them the rights they lost; 3 0 . 
procure for them the peace of a good conscience. 

i°. Confession , well made, will blot out all sins. 

“My iniquities have overtaken me. . . . They are multiplied above 
the hairs of my head.” (Ps. xxxix, 13, 14) 

“David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And 

459 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


460 

Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou 
shalt not die.” (2 Kings xii, 13) 

“If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; and 
if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.” (Is. i, 18) 

“His father saw him, and, moved with compassion, . . . said to his 
servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him.” 
(Luke xv, 20, 22) 

“If the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath com¬ 
mitted. ... I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done.” 
(Ezech. xviii, 21, 22) 

“Confession and beauty in His sight. Do you wish to be beautiful? 
Confess: you were foul, confess that you may be beautiful; you were 
a sinner, confess that you may become just.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who accuses himself, even though he is a sinner, begins to be 
just; for the divine vengeance ceases if human confession anticipates 
it.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The poison of sin that lay pestiferously concealed in the mind is 
wholesomely exposed in confession.” (S. Greg.) 

2°. Confession can restore to sinners the rights they had lost. 

Sin, by inflicting death on the soul, causes it to lose the sanctifying 
grace which is its supernatural life, and all the merits which it may have 
acquired by its good works. 

“If the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity 
... all his justices, which he had done, shall not be remembered.” 
(Ezech. xviii, 24) 

But those good works which were killed by sin take a new life by 
penance. 

“I will restore to you the years which the locust, and the bruchus, 
and the mildew, and the palmer-worm have eaten.” (Joel ii, 25) 
“Confession remits sins, restores merits; confession blunts the sting 
of the worm.” (S. Ambr.) 

3 0 . It procures for them the peace of a good conscience. 

After a good confession the sinner enjoys a sweet interior peace. 
Freed from the burden of his crimes, he tastes a peace which sur¬ 
passes all the joys of worldlings. He is no longer troubled by remorse 
of conscience. 

“His is the peace of God which surpasseth all understanding.” 
(Phil, iv, 7) 

“Daughter, go in peace, and be thou whole of thy disease.” (Mark 

V, 34) 

“When you did not confess, your conscience gathered corrupt matter, 


FREQUENT CONFESSION 461 

the abscess was swollen; it tormented you and did not suffer you to 
rest: the doctor applies fomentations of words. Do thou recognize 
the hand of the doctor; confess, in order that the sin may pass away 
in confession, and the corruption disappear.” (S. Aug.) 

Why, then, do you not make use of means so efficacious to procure 
for yourself all these advantages, especially as these means are so easy? 
For, what must you do to obtain pardon of your sins ? Only this, you 
must confess them with a humble and contrite heart. 

What a difference between the tribunal of divine mercy and that of 
human justice! 

“At the tribunal of man it is life or death after confession; but a 
crown is given after the confession of crimes at the tribunal of God.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

If God had demanded more difficult things, should we not have 
submitted to them ? 

“If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst 
have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, 
and thou shalt be clean?” (4 Kings v, 13) 

“Wilt thou be made whole?” (John v, 6) 

Would you dare to answer as the sick man answered: “Sir, I have 
no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond.” (Ibid., 
7 ) 

“Go, [therefore] show yourselves to the priests.” (Luke xvii, 14) 

“Commit thy way to the Lord.” (Ps. xxxvi, 5) 

Say with the leper in the Gospel: 

“Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. I will, be thou 
made clean, and forthwith His leprosy was cleansed.” (Matth. viii, 
2, 3). So yours will also be. 

“And you shall find rest to your souls.” (Ibid., xi, 29) 

“Thou hast broken my bonds, O Lord: I will sacrifice to Thee the 
sacrifice of praise.” (Ps. cxv 7, 8) 

2. To the just 

For just souls, although they are not exposed to the same calamity 
as sinners, confession is no less useful, to strengthen them in the prac¬ 
tice of good works, to cause them to advance in virtue, to increase 
their merits, and to enable them to persevere in the grace of God. 

“He that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let 
him be sanctified still.” (Apoc. xxii, 11) 

“Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matth. vi, 20) 

Confession is not only useful and necessary in the order of salvation 
and for the good of our souls; it is also of infinite advantage to society, 
to maintain peace, tranquillity, and justice. The people who give a 


462 


THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 


bad example in a parish are certainly not among the number of those 
who frequently go to confession. Does not confession prevent evils 
that would be injurious to the public welfare! What restitution and 
reparation it causes to be made, enemies to be reconciled, discords to be 
banished, peace to be re-established, homicides to be prevented, treason 
and rebellion against the state to be checked, obedience and submission 
to the laws to be given, public duties to be better fulfilled, etc. 

By confession the Christian fulfils his duties towards God, becomes 
charitable towards his neighbors, obedient to his superiors, merciful to 
the poor, just to all. 

II. MISERY OF THOSE WHO KEEP AWAY FROM CONFESSION 

Many sinners go to confession at long intervals only, because, they 
say, the Church does not oblige people to confess oftener than once a 
year. Others keep away because they do not wish to correct their 
bad habits, to quit the occasions of sin, to make restitution, which 
nevertheless is essential to a good confession. But both these classes 
are in a state of deplorable blindness; they do not see the evils that 
result from their remaining away from confession. But, I say that 
the Church requires people to confess at least once a year, in order to 
prevent sinners from passing their whole life without having recourse 
to so salutary a means; but she earnestly desires them to confess oftener. 

“In the Council of the Lateran the Church decreed that the precept 
of confession, at least once a year, should be fulfilled by all and every 
one, when they have arrived at the years of discretion.” (Council of 
Trent, S. iv, c. 5) 

There are many reasons that should induce sinners to confess often. 
The sinner should not defer his conversion, because in doing so, (1) 
his sins increase, (2) his bad habits grow stronger, and (3) he ex¬ 
poses himself to the danger of final impenitence, which is death in sin. 

1. Their sins increase 

The sinner who goes to confession only at long intervals, deprives 
himself of the graces of the Sacrament and of the advice of the con¬ 
fessor; he hardly ever enters into himself in order to examine his con¬ 
science and find what shape his soul is in. Can he be astonished if 
he heaps up sin upon sin, if he becomes the slave of bad habits? 

“Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto 
uncleanness.” (Rom. i, 24) 

2. Their bad habits grow stronger 

The sinner, deprived of the special graces attached to the Sacrament 
of Penance, exposed to the attacks of the enemy, delivered to his own 


FREQUENT CONFESSION 463 

inclination, which drags him towards evil, will yield to temptation, will 
follow the attraction of his inclination. The first sin will be followed 
by others, and the sinner will sink more and more deeply in the abyss. 

“Deep calleth on deep.” (Ps. xli, 8) 

“Woe to you, apostate children, . . . that you might add sin upon 
sin.” (Is. xxx, 1) 

“The wicked man when he is come into the depth of sins, con- 
temneth.” (Prov. xviii, 3) 

His bad habits gain fresh strength each day; at length they gain en¬ 
tire mastery over him. 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is bound fast with the 
ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22) 

He will confess at Easter. But is it very easy to fulfil a duty properly 
when one does it only through necessity? What will the examination 
of conscience be like? Of what kind will be the contrition—the pur¬ 
pose of amendment? 

3. They expose themselves to the danger of final impenitence 

To what does this sinner expose himself? To die in the state of sin, 
to fall into the horrors of eternal death. Since he remains whole 
months in the bonds of sin, may he not be surprised by death? Does 
he think that if God wishes to take him out of this life in an unforeseen 
manner, He will choose for that the moment when the sinner is in a 
state of grace? Is there not more reason to fear that death will sur¬ 
prise him in sin, since he passes the greater part of his life in that un¬ 
happy state? And even if he should make his confession at death, will 
he make it as he should ? 

“Add not sin upon sin. And say not: The mercy of the Lord is 
great, He will have mercy on the multitude of my sins. For mercy 
and wrath quickly come from Him, and His wrath looketh upon sin¬ 
ners.” (Eccli. v, 5-7) 

“Who shall heal thee?” (Lament, ii, 13) 

“Go, shew thyself to the priest.” (Matth. viii, 4) 


Division 

Three defects which render confessions null, not to say criminal: 

1. Want of light in the examination. 

i°. The penitent does not make it with sufficient care; 

2 0 . He makes it only according to his prejudices; 

3 0 . He never examines himself on all the duties of his state of life, 



464 THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE 

on the duties of a father, of a superior, of one employed in a public 
office. 

2. A want of sincerity in the manifestation. This want of sincerity 
is found, 

i°. In the expressions used, by which the penitent tries to excuse 
himself and explain away the sins; 

2 0 . In the motives and causes of actions, to which the penitent hardly 
ever refers; 

3 0 . In doubtful actions, which he explains to his own credit. 

3. A want of sorrow for sin. 

i°. It is simply a natural sorrow; 

2°. It is a sorrow which is founded solely on the fear of the pains 
of hell; were it not for that fear, many would live as if there was no 
God. 

3 0 . It is a sorrow which does not include the purpose of amendment. 


LXXVIII 


PERSEVERANCE 

“He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. x, 
22) 

You have received pardon of your sins in the Sacrament of Penance. 
You now possess peace : “Pax vobisP May that peace of God, which 
surpasses all understanding, for ever guard your hearts and your minds. 

“The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding, keep your 
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil, iv, 7) 

But will you not lose this precious peace? 

To preserve you from this evil, I will show you, I. The obligation 
under which you are of persevering in grace; II. The means you must 
make use of in order to persevere. 

I. THE OBLIGATION OF PERSEVERING IN GRACE 

Three weighty reasons prove the indispensable necessity incumbent 
on us of persevering in the grace we received by participation in the 
Sacraments: (1) the danger from which we have emerged; (2) the 
combats we have to sustain in this life; and (3) the road over which 
we must travel in order to arrive at eternal happiness. 

1. The danger from which we have emerged 

In what danger were you when God was pleased to visit you by his 
grace? You were in evident danger of dying in mortal sin! Can you 
think of that danger without shuddering, and without taking all neces¬ 
sary means to avoid falling into it again ? 

“Say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, He will have mercy on 
the multitude of my sins.” (Eccli.v, 6) 

“He hath strengthened His mercy towards them that fear Him ” 
(Ps. cii, 11) 

“Plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Thee.” (Ps. lxxxv, 5) 

“[But] who shall have pity on thee, O Jerusalem? ... or who shall 
go to pray for thy peace? Thou hast forsaken Me, saith the Lord, 
thou hast gone backward; and I will stretch out My hand against thee.” 
(Jer. xv, 5, 6) 

“It had been better for them not to have known the way of justice, 

465 


466 PERSEVERANCE 

than after they have known it, to turn back from that holy command¬ 
ment.” (2 Pet. ii, 21) 

‘'Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide 
in My love.” (John xv, 9, 10) 

“Till I die I will not depart from my innocence; My justification 
which I have begun to hold, I will not forsake.” (Job xxvii, 5, 6) 

“By a change of morals a man is altered, becomes as it were another 
man, is not known to be what he was, and is not himself at all in a man¬ 
ner, at least he is not his former self. But the dreadful thing is to be 
thus changed for the worse.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Know that the demon hates perseverance only, because he knows 
that it alone is crowned by God.” (S. Bern.) 

“What will it profit us to follow Christ, if we are not with Him 
when life ends?” (S. Bern.) 


2. The combats we have to sustain in this life 

Perseverance is necessary for us in order that we may be victorious 
in the struggle with the enemies of our salvation. You know that this 
life is an unceasing temptation. 

“The life of man upon earth is a warfare.” (Job vii, 1) 

There is question, then, of fighting, and of fighting so as to gain the 
victory. 

“He also that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned, except he 
strive lawfully.” (2 Tim. ii, 5) 

“Without perseverance he who fights does not obtain the victory, nor 
does the victor obtain the palm.” (S. Bern.) 

“Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one 
receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.” (1 Cor. ix, 24) 

“He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. 
x, 22) 

S. Paul trembled for himself, so much as to say: 

“I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection; lest perhaps, when I 
have preached to others, I myself may become a cast-away.” (1 Cor. 
ix, 27) 

But he talks confidently because of his perseverance in the service of 
the Lord: 

“I am even now ready to be sacrificed; and the time of my dissolution 
is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I 
have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown 
of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will render to me in that 
day; and not only to me, but to them also that love His coming.” (2 
Tim. iv, 6-8) 


THE OBLIGATION 467 

“We look for that life which God will give to those that never change 
their faith from Him.” (Tob. ii, 18) 

“Expect the Lord, do manfully.” (Ps. xxvi, 14) 

“You are they who have continued with Me in My temptations; and 
I dispose to you, as My Father hath disposed to Me, a kingdom.” 
(Luke xxii, 28, 29) 

“They believe for awhile, and in time of temptation they fall away.” 
(Luke viii, 13) 

“What merit would there be in perseverance, unless we persevere 
in troubles, trials, and temptations?” (S. Aug.) 

“Are you tempted? Persevere to the end, because temptation does 
not persevere to the end.” (S. Aug.) 

“We exhort you by the common faith to hold fast our glory by a 
strong and persevering virtue. We are still in the world; we are still 
placed in the line of battle; we fight every day for our lives.” (S. 
Cypr.) 

“Other virtues deserve a crown; perseverance alone receives it.” 
(S. Bonav.) 

“I beseech you, son, and with paternal love warn you who have 
abandoned Sodom, and are hastening to lofty heights, not to look be¬ 
hind you lest you should let go the handle of the plough, the garment 
of the Saviour, which you have begun to hold; lest when about to 
search for the first robe [of innocence] you should abandon the abode 
of virtue; lest you should return from the field to the house; lest you 
should love the plains with Lot, or the beauty of the gardens that are 
not watered from heaven, as holy land, but by the muddy flood of the 
Jordan. [But, alas!] many have begun, few have persevered to the 
end.” (S. Jerome) 


3. The road over which vie must travel 

We should then depend on perseverance alone; and as we are 
very far from the perfection of S. Paul, the road over which we must 
travel before crowning the work of our salvation, is a third reason that 
should induce us to persevere in grace. There are different degrees in 
virtue. 

“The beginning of virtue is one thing, its progress another, its per¬ 
fection yet another.” (S. Greg.) 

You have begun well; must you rest there? Many who began well 
have ended badly. Others began badly, but having ended well, are 
saved. 

“Christians should keep in view not the first steps, but the final end 
and perseverance. Paul began badly, but ended well; in the beginning 


468 


PERSEVERANCE 


Judas deserved praise, but his end was bad because of his treason.’* 
(S. Jerome) 

“[The just] shall go from virtue to virtue; the God of gods shall be 
seen in Sion.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 8) 

“If the just man shall turn himself away from his justice, and do 
iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth 
to work, shall he live? All his justices which he hath done, shall not 
be remembered: in the prevarication by which he hath prevaricated, and 
in his sin which he hath committed, in them he shall die.” (Ezech. 
xviii, 24) 

Whatever merits you may have gained, fear always and make every 
effort to persevere. There is one thing only that can make your re¬ 
ward certain: that is perseverance. If you do not persevere to the 
end, all the good you will have done will be useless. 

“Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have 
wrought; but that you may receive a full reward.” (2 John 8) 

“I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them; and I will not 
turn again till they are consumed.” (Ps. xvii, 38) 

“Woe to them that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the 
right ways, and have gone aside into crooked ways.” (Eccli. ii, 16) 
“Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way. ... Be 
steadfast in the way of the Lord.” (Eccli. v, 11, 12) 

“A holy man continueth in wisdom as the sun; but a fool is changed 
as the moon.” (Eccli. xxvii, 12) 

“How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in 
the morning? How art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the 
nations?” (Is. xiv, 12) 

“No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit 
for the kingdom of God.” (Luke ix, 62) 

“This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke xiv, 

3 °) 

“Are you so foolish, that whereas you began in the Spirit, you would 
now be made perfect in the flesh?” (Gal. iii, 3) 

“You did run well, who hath hindered you?” (Gal. v, 7) 

“We desire that every one of you show forth the same carefulness 
to the accomplishing of hope unto the end.” (Hebr. vi, 11) 

“It is not a great thing to begin that which is good, but to complete it, 
that alone is perfect.” (S. Aug.) 

“The virtue that is abandoned before the end of life is of no avail, 
for in vain does a man run quickly who fails before he reaches the 
goal.” (S. Greg.) 

“In a race for an earthly prize, the one who reaches the goal first is 


THE MEANS 469 

crowned; but in the race for Heaven every one who reaches it merits 
a crown.” (S. Chrys.) 

“All our hope rests on the consummation and the end. What does it 
profit me that the green com gives hope of a harvest, if before the 
time of reaping that hope is destroyed by a sudden storm, or a flood? 
(Euseb.) 


II. THE MOST EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF PERSEVERANCE 

These are (1) mistrust of ourselves, (2) frequent reception of the 
Sacraments, (3) prayer. 

1. The first means you must adopt in order to assure perseverance 
is to mistrust yourselves, that is, your own strength; to avoid occasions 
of sin , dangerous company, and everything that might lead you into 
sin. That is the precaution taken by the disciples after our Saviour’s 
resurrection. 

“When . . . the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered 
together for fear of the Jews.” (John xx, 19) 

The grace which you have received is a precious treasure; but, alas! 
you carry that treasure in very fragile vessels. Be on your guard then. 
Preserve this treasure by the practice of good works. 

“Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin.” 
(Eccli. v, 5) 

“Then he [the unclean spirit] saith: I will return into my house 
from whence I came out. . . . And the last state of that man is made 
worse than the first.” (Matth. xii, 44, 45) 

“I will stand upon my watch, and fix my foot upon the tower.” 
(Habac. ii, 1) 

“Thou standest by faith: be not high-minded, but fear.” (Rom. xi, 20) 

“He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.” 
(1 Cor. x, 12) 

Not to advance in the way of the Lord, is to fall back. 

“With fear and trembling work out your salvation.” (Philip, ii, 12) 

2. The second means to be employed is the frequent reception of the 
Sacraments. We are weak and inclined to become careless. 

“In many things we all offend.” (Jas. iii, 2) 

The true means of insuring our success is to have recourse to the 
Sacraments, which Jesus Christ instituted as remedies for our infirmity. 
Give to worldly affairs the time that is necessary; but do not neglect the 
most important affair of all, that of your eternal salvation. Approach 
the Sacraments frequently. Do not be like those of whom the Prophet 
speaks; 


470 


PERSEVERANCE 


“They have thought to cast away My price.” (Ps. lxi, 5) 

“Behold they that go far from thee [O Lord] shall perish: Thou 
hast destroyed all them that are disloyal to Thee.” (Ps. lxxii, 27) 
“Arise, eat; for thou hast yet a great way to go.” (3 Kings xix, 7) 
“They [the damned] will not free themselves from blame saying: 
Why are we, who did not understand the importance of perseverance, 
condemned? It will be said to you, O Man, that if you wished to do 
so, you could have persevered in that which you understood and pos¬ 
sessed. For God would not have abandoned you if you had not aban¬ 
doned Him, but would have conducted you to eternal happiness.” (S. 
Aug.) 

3. The third means is prayer. Perseverance is the greatest of all 
gifts, the seal of our predestination, the condition of our entrance into 
eternal rest. 

“We declare that perseverance is a gift of God by which we continue 
with Christ unto the end.” (S. Aug.) 

We must pray for it unceasingly because God grants perseverance 
only in answer to that prayer which itself perseveres. 

“Watch ye, and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matth. 
xxvl, 41) 

“We ought always to pray, and not to faint.” (Luke xviii, 1) 

“All these were persevering with one mind in prayer.” (Acts i, 14) 
“Enlighten my eyes, that I never sleep in death; lest at any time 
my enemy say: I have prevailed against him.” (Ps. xii, 4, 5) 

“In doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, 
not failing.” (Gal. vi, 9) 

“Brethren, be not weary in well-doing.” (2 Thess. iii, 13) 

“This I pray, that your charity may more and more abound in knowl¬ 
edge and in all understanding; that you may approve the better things, 
that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ, 
filled with the fruit of justice through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and 
praise of God.” (Phil, i, 9-11) 

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and immovable; 
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor 
is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. xv, 58) 

“Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of 
life.” (Apoc. ii, 10) 

Divisions 

I 

1. It is necessary to persevere in grace because of the dangers to 



THE MEANS 


47i 

which we are exposed. We should dread falling again into sin. But 
the way to make ourselves secure is to strengthen ourselves more and 
more in the practice of virtue. It is perseverance which (1) sustains 
our merits; “Nutrix ad meritum” and (2) assures to us our crown: 
(e Mediatrix ad coronam.” (S. Bernard)—: two qualities that show us 
its value. 

2. Means to he employed in order to persevere. 

i°. Flight from dangerous occasions of sin; 

2 0 . Fidelity in the discharge of even the smallest duties; 

3 0 . Mistrust of ourselves and confidence in God; 

4°. Constant prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments. 

II 

1. Motives that urge us to persevere: 

i°. The rank of the Master whom we serve; 

2 0 . The injury we do to Him when we abandon His service; 

3 0 . The consolation of which we deprive ourselves. 

2. Dangers of inconstancy in virtue: 

i°. The means of salvation which are successfully employed in pro¬ 
curing the conversion of other sinners often become useless to the 
inconstant and fickle soul; 

2°. The obstacles to salvation, which are overcome with difficulty by 
other sinners, become infinitely more difficult to the changeable and 
frivolous soul. It is therefore our interest to persevere in justice. 


LXXIX 


RELAPSE 

“You were as sheep going astray; but now you are converted to the 
Shepherd and "Bishop of your souls." (i Pet. ii, 25) 

When in the state of sin you were the slaves of the devil, that 
spirit of darkness exercised his empire over you and would have con¬ 
ducted you into the prison of eternal death; but since your resurrection 
to grace you have been under the empire of Jesus Christ, who promises 
you everlasting happiness if you remain true to Him. Be on your guard 
therefore against a relapse into sin. 

“Behold thou art made whole; sin no more lest some worse thing 
happen to thee.” (John v, 14) 

Because if you fall into sin again: I. Your sin will inflict a greater 
injury on God; II. Your state will be worse than it was before. 

I. THE RELAPSING SINNER INFLICTS A GREATER INJURY ON GOD 

Every sin is an injury inflicted on the Divine Majesty, because it 
is an act of disobedience to His laws and contempt of His benefits; 
but these odious characteristics of every sin are more clearly seen in 
the relapse of the sinner, because, 1. the relapse usually contains more 
malice, and 2. shows a feature of ingratitude and infidelity which is 
not found in sin that is committed for the first time. 

1. A relapse usually contains more malice 

A sinner is always guilty when he offends God; but sometimes there 
are found in his first sin circumstances that diminish its gravity, ig¬ 
norance, an unforeseen occasion, a violent temptation, etc. The re¬ 
lapsing sinner cannot excuse himself because of ignorance of his duties, 
or of the violence of the temptation, or of the strength of a bad habit. 
Has he not been instructed, warned ? Has he not received in the Sacra¬ 
ments of Penance and the Eucharist abundant graces to resist tempta¬ 
tion? His relapse is, therefore, a sin of pure malice, since he commits 
it with all the knowledge and all the help that should cause him to avoid 
it. 

“Who as it were on purpose have revolted from Him, and would not 
understand all His ways.” (Job xxxiv, 27) 

472 


AN ACT OF INGRATITUDE 


473 

“Woe to you, ungodly men, who have forsaken the law of the most 
high Lord.” (Eccli. xu, n) 

“If I build up again the things which I have destroyed, I make myself 
a prevaricator.” (Gal. ii, 18) 

“It is a smaller fault to have sinned before you yet knew the law 
of God; there is no excuse for sin after you have begun to know God.” 
(S. Cypr.) 

“It is no small sin, after having renounced the devil, who is God’s 
rival, and given God the victory over him as a rival, to reverse the order 
by a relapse into sin, making oneself a source of joy and exultation to 
the most wicked one, who rejoices at having recovered his lost prey.” 
(Tert.) 

“He who, after having done penance and recovered grace, relapses 
into sin and gives satisfaction to the evil spirit by, as it were, repenting 
that he had repented, will be displeasing to God in the same proportion 
as he will be pleasing to God’s rival, the devil.” (Tert.) 

2. A relapse contains more ingratitude 

In order to be able to understand all the ingratitude of the relapsing 
sinner, we should be able to understand the greatness of the benefit 
of reconciliation with God. What was the sinner before he was freed 
from the slavery of sin by the grace of God? To what evils was he 
not exposed? 

“The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed.” (Lament, 
iii, 22) 

Is it not base ingratitude to despise the benefits of God so far as to 
rebel anew against Him ? He awaited the sinner with patience, received 
him with kindness, and bestowed upon him innumerable benefits; He 
gave Himself to the sinner in Holy Communion. Ah! was it neces¬ 
sary that the sinner should hide such black treason, such atrocious per¬ 
fidy under the kiss of peace ? 

“Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making a 
mockery of Him.” (Hebr. vi, 6) 

“Jesus Christ yesterday, and to-day, and the same for ever.” (Hebr. 
xiii, 8) 

“How [therefore] turn you again to the weak and needy elements, 
which you desire to serve anew?” (Gal. iv, 9) 

“According to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up 
to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the just 
judgment of God.” (Rom. ii, 5) 

“It is a dreadful thing even to say, but does not the relapsing sinner 
really prefer the devil to God? Having known both, he seems to have 
made a comparison, and after a deliberate judgment to have pronounced 


474 


RELAPSE 


in favor of the devil, whom he considers better than God, and whose 
servant, or rather slave, he chooses to be.” (Tert.) 

“He who sins again after having been pardoned, and wounds him¬ 
self after having been healed, is not grateful for the tenderness shown 
to him by Almighty God; nor does he merit to be purified again who 
defiles himself after having been cleansed by grace.” (S. Chrys.) 

“To what blind man has Christ given sight twice? What leper has 
He cleansed twice? What dead man has He raised twice to life? It 
is not stated that any one was healed more than once, in order that each 
one may fear to be bound to sin.” (S. Aug.) 

“[Nevertheless] no one should despair of the divine mercy, no mat¬ 
ter how often he may have sinned.” (S. Aug.) 

“God forbid that any one should think that beause he may easily ap¬ 
proach the Sacrament of Penance, therefore he may commit sin without 
fear, and that the superabundance of divine mercy should produce 
the sin of human rashness. (Tert.) 

“If, illuminated by the Lord and freed from the miseries of sin, we 
turn again to the same malice, a graver punishment awaits us.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“He who falls again into sin after having been pardoned once, 
gives God cause to punish him more severely.” (S. Basil) 

II. THE STATE OF THE SINNER AFTER RELAPSE IS WORSE 
THAN IT WAS BEFORE 

A soul that falls into sin for the first time is to be pitied, since by 
losing grace it loses the friendship of God. But its misfortune is 
much greater when, after having been reconciled to God, it falls again 
into the filth of sin; because its relapse renders (i) its sorrow very 
doubtful, and (2) its conversion very difficult. 

1. Relapse renders sorrow doubtful 

If man should fear about his sins forgiven, even when he does not 
relapse: “Be not without fear about sins forgiven” (Eccli. v, 5), 
with much greater reason should he fear when he does relapse. Be¬ 
cause he who easily falls again into sin, especially if he relapses 
almost immediately after having approached the Sacraments, gives 
good ground for believing that he has not received the grace of justifi¬ 
cation, and that the sincerity of his sorrow is very doubtful. What is 
necessary for true sorrow? 

“In true penance there are included hatred of sin and love of God.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“There is no real sorrow where there is no amendment.” (Tert.) 

But how can it be said that this sinner has really renounced sin, that 


STATE OF THE SINNER AFTER RELAPSE 


475 


he has hated it, detested it as he should, when some days later this sin 
becomes the object of his desires? Will it be said that a man has been 
really cured when he is seen to relapse very quickly into his illness? 
Repentance without amendment, repentance very often fruitless, which 
has need of being repaired by a more sincere repentance, since it has only 
caused the Sacraments to be profaned. This is why sinners should 
tremble for their relapses into sin after confession. 

“A man that fasteth for his sins, and doth the same again, what doth 
his humbling himself profit him?” (Eccli. xxxiv, 31) 

“If the just man turn himself away from his justice and do iniquity 
... all his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered . . . 
and in his sin which he hath committed he shall die.” (Ezech. xviii, 24) 

“If the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit 
iniquity, I will lay a stumbling-block before him ... he shall die in 
his sin.” (Ezech. iii, 20) 

“For three crimes of Damascus, and for four, I will not convert 
it.” (Amos i, 3) 

“The sorrow that is according to God worketh penance steadfast 
unto salvation.” (2 Cor. vii, 10) 

“I say to you, penitents: What will it profit you to humble your¬ 
selves if you do not change?” (S. Aug.) 

“He is a scoffer, not a penitent, who continues to do that of which 
he repents.” (Id.) 

“Those who bewail their sins, and yet do not abandon them, cleanse 
themselves in vain, and wickedly defile themselves; they wash themselves 
with their tears in order that being cleansed they may return to their 
filth.” (S. Greg.) 

“Such people [those who relapse] never blot out their sins by their 
tears, because they never cease to commit sin after having wept.” (S. 
Fulgence) 

“Isaias says: 'Be ye washed and cleansed/ He is washed and 
cleansed who weeps for his past sins, and does not again do the things 
for which he wept. He is washed, but is not made clean, who bewails 
the sins he has committed, but does not abandon them, and after having 
shed tears, repeats those things for which he wept.” (S. Isid.) 

“The repentance of hypocrites, whose sorrow is never sincere.” 
(Tert.) 

“This is a new kind of monstrosity: they continually do that which 
they lament having done.” (Salvian) 

2. The conversion of the relapsing sinner becomes very difficult 

It is with a relapsing sinner as with a sick man who falls again into 
his illness. The relapse of a sick man usually leads him to the grave. 


RELAPSE 


476 

The cure of a relapsing sinner becomes more difficult either (a) because 
of the obstacles that are opposed to his conversion, or (b) because of 
the inefficacy of the remedies, which become useless to him. 

a. Greater obstacles are opposed to his conversion 

What obstacles has not the relapsing sinner to fear both on his own 
part, and on the part of the demon! 

On the part of the sinner himself. The first sin committed causes 
pain, fear, remorse, which often prevent the sinner delivering himself 
up to evil ways. But as soon as he has passed the barrier that re¬ 
strained him, he has no longer so great a horror of sin. He becomes 
familiar with crime, the habit is formed, there is no longer any fear, 
conscience is dumb, the sinner glories in that at which he used to blush. 

“Deep calleth on deep.” (Ps. xli, 8) 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast bound with the 
ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22) 

“Add Thou iniquity upon their iniquity, and let them not come into 
Thy justice.” (Ps. lxviii, 28) 

“The sin that is not blotted out by repentance, by its own weight soon 
drags the sinner into another sin.” (S. Greg.) 

“A wound that is reopened heals more slowly; so he who weeps for 
sin committed and at the same time continues to sin, does not deserve 
pardon: weeping does no good if the sins are repeated, nor is it any 
good to ask pardon for sin, while continuing to repeat the evil.” (Pet. 
Blesens.) 

Obstacles on the part of the evil spirit, who acquires a new power 
over the sinner. The devil, driven out of his house by repentance, re¬ 
turns to attack it with new forces. This sinner has not been vigilant, 
he has made but a feeble resistance, he has even opened the door to the 
enemy, and from that moment he is the slave, not of one devil only, 
but of many evil spirits, who are bent on his destruction. 

“When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through 
dry places seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith: I will re¬ 
turn into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it 
empty, swept, and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him seven 
other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell 
there; and the last state of that man is made worse than the first.” 

(Matth. xii, 43-45) 

“By whom a man is overcome, of the same also he is the slave. . . . 
For if they [sinners] be again entangled in them [pollutions of this 
world] and overcome, their latter state is become unto them worse 
than the former. For it had been better for them not to have known 
the way of justice, than after they have known it, to turn back from 


STATE OF THE SINNER AFTER RELAPSE 


477 

that holy commandment which was delivered to them. For, that of 
the true proverb has happened to them: The dog is returned to his 
vomit; and, The sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” 
(2 Pet. ii, 19-22) 

As the dog that returneth to his vomit, so is the fool that repeateth 
his folly.” (Prov. xxvi, 11) 

“How exceeding base art thou become, going the same ways over 
again.” (Jer. ii, 36) 

“The second fall is worse than the first.” (S. Bern.) 

b. The remedies that might effect a cure become useless to him 

These remedies are the grace of God, the Sacraments, the word of 
salvation, and the other helps which the mercy of God offers to him 
that he might the more easily raise himself up. The relapsing sinner 
closes his eyes to the light of grace, he receives the Sacraments without 
the proper disposition, he hears the Word of God without profiting by 
it, he sees the good example of others and does not imitate them. His 
wounds become so deep that it would require a miracle to cure them. 

“My sores are putrefied and corrupted.” (Ps. xxxvii, 6) 

“For that uncleanness of the land, it shall be corrupted with a griev¬ 
ous corruption.” (Mich, ii, 10) 

Hence the great difficulty of recovering from his falls. 

“It is impossible [i. e., very difficult] for those who were once il¬ 
luminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift, and were made partakers 
of the Holy Ghost . . . and are fallen away, to be renewed again to 
penance.” (Heb. vi, 4, 6) 

“If we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there 
is now left no sacrifice for sins.” (Hebr. x, 26) 

“Thy bruise is incurable, thy wound is very grievous. . . . Thou hast 
no healing medicine.” (Jer. xxx, 12, 13) 

“We that are dead to sin, how shall we live any longer therein.” 
(Rom. vi, 2) 

“I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of Thy 
justice.” (Ps. cxviii, 106) 


Division 

The sin of relapse impresses on the sinner as it were a mark of re¬ 
probation, and he rarely rises up from it, because it is one of those 
vices which nothing excuses, and from which everything is to be feared. 

1. Enormity of the sin of relapse. 

There is no excuse for a relapsing sinner, because his sin is not the 



478 


RELAPSE 


effect either of surprise, or weakness, or ignorance; it is the most hate¬ 
ful ingratitude, the blackest perfidy, the most bitter contempt. 

2. Danger of the sin of relapse. 

Everything is to be feared from the sin of relapse, because it com¬ 
monly leads to impenitence, and so to speak, to a state of permanence 
and tranquillity in crime. In fact, 

i°. The means of salvation which generally effect the conversion of 
other sinners become useless to him who relapses. 

2°. Even supposing that he could make use of them, God is in some 
sense weary of giving them to him. 

3 °. Even if the goodness of God continue, the peculiar malice of the 
sin of relapse, joined to the disposition of the human heart, must neces¬ 
sarily lead the sinner to obduracy in sin. 


LXXX 


ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION 

“Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed 
to them that were set down.” (John vi, n) 

A power as great and a kindness as tender as those of the Man-God 
were necessary to feed five thousand men with five loaves. However 
great this prodigy was, it was nothing in comparison with the miracle 
our Lord works in the Holy Eucharist for the nourishment of our 
souls. There is here no material and corruptible bread. It is a heav¬ 
enly Bread that nourishes the soul. And Jesus Christ not only permits 
men to eat this heavenly Bread, but He has even given them an express 
command to do so, the transgression of which results in depriving them 
of eternal life. The Church renews this commandment every year, and 
threatens with anathema those who refuse to comply with it. Will it 
be necessary to have recourse to this means to cause you to submit to 
the law? No, it will be sufficient to show you the advantages to be 
gained from holy Communion. 

These advantages are found: I. In the intimate union which Jesus 
Christ contracts with the faithful soul that receives Him in the Eucharist; 
II. In the graces which He communicates to that soul. 


I. UNION OF THE SOUL WITH JESUS CHRIST 

Faith teaches us that under the appearances of bread and wine are 
contained the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, which take the place of 
the bread and wine at the moment of consecration: “The Lord obey¬ 
ing the voice of a man” (Jos. x, 14) ; that the Blood of Christ, since 
His resurrection, is united to His sacred Body to be no more separated 
from it, and thus the faithful soul that receives the adorable Flesh of 
Christ under the appearance of bread, really drinks of His Blood; that 
this Body and Blood are hypostatically united to the Divinity; that thus 
the faithful soul truly receives the Divinity; that the Divinity of the 
Son being inseparable from that of the Father and the Holy Ghost, the 
soul receives the three Divine Persons. Thus, when you receive Holy 
Communion, your body becomes the sanctuary of the Divinity, the 
Most Holy Trinity resides within you. 

479 


480 


ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION 


“Although He [God] is omnipotent, He could not give more.” (S. 
Aug.) 

How does Christ give Himself in the Holy Eucharist ? In that holy 
Sacrament He communicates Himself to us, (1) by a most intimate 
union, (2) by a union most glorious for us. 

1. A most intimate union, of which Christ Himself has 
given us a most touching idea 

“My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed; He that 
eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood abideth in Me, and I in Him.” 
(John vi, 56, 57) 

“Neither is there any other nation so great that hath gods so nigh 
them as our God.” (Deut. iv, 7) 

“The effect of the partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ is to 
transform us into that which we consume.” (S. Leo) 

“Just as if we mix wax melted by heat with other wax similarly 
melted, so that one piece is seen to be made out of the two, in like manner 
by the communication of the Body and Blood of Christ, He is in us and 
we are in Him.” (S. Cyril) 

O prodigy of the love of God! What more shall I say? Jesus 
Christ compares this union to the union that exists between Himself 
and His Father. 

“As I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, the same also shall 
live by Me.” (John vi, 58) 

“I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 

It is no longer the devout communicant who thinks, speaks, acts; it 
is Jesus Christ who thinks, speaks, and acts in him; or at least he ought 
to think, speak, and act as Christ would; because if he does not act as 
the Saviour would, if his life is not conformable to His, it must be 
said that he has not participated worthily in this divine Food, the pe¬ 
culiar quality of which is to transform us in a certain manner into Jesus 
Christ. . . . “We are made Christ’s.” 

Those in whom one sees so little change after so many holy Com¬ 
munions, have reason to tremble. 

“Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
world.” (Matth. xxviii, 20) 

“The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion 
of the Blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the 
partaking of the Body of the Lord?” (1 Cor. x, 16) 

“While the body is nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ, the 
soul is filled with God.” (Tert.) 

“We shall be Christ-bearers, that is, we shall carry Christ in us, 
when we shall have received His Body and Blood into our hearts, and 


INTIMATE UNION WITH CHRIST 481 

thus, as Blessed Peter says: We are made partakers of the Divine 
Nature. ,, (S. Cyril) 

“A pledge is given to us, in which we feel the sweetness of, and 
desire the Fountain of Life itself; in which we feel the overflowing 
delight, which carries us away from ourselves and above all earthly 
pleasures.” (S. Aug.) 

“I am the food of the full-grown; grow and you will eat Me. You 
will not change Me into yourselves, as you change bodily food, but you 
will be changed into Me.” (S. Aug.) 

“Christ incorporated each one of the faithful with Himself by the 
Mystery.” (S. Chrys.) 

“We are made one body, members of His flesh and of His bones; 
and we are changed into that flesh not by charity only, but in very 
act by the Food that is given us.” (S. Aug.) 

“A spiritual grafting. ... If we are joined to His most sacred life, 
we are made partakers of the Divine Nature and sharers of the divine 
goods.” (S. Dionys.) 

“We are made one body and blood with Christ.” (S. Cyril of 
Jerusalem) 

“In Holy Communion we are not so closely united to Christ as to be 
consubstantial with Him; nevertheless, the union is very real and in¬ 
timate.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Our Saviour instituted this Sacrament, in which, He has, as it were, 
poured out all the riches of His divine love for men, making a remem¬ 
brance of His wonderful works.” (Council of Trent, S. xiii, c. 2) 

2. A union most glorious for us 

To understand the glory gained by a faithful soul from the union 
which it contracts with Jesus Christ, we should be able to understand 
the infinite distance that exists between God and the creature. 

“O wonder! the pauper, the slave, the humble eats the Lord.” (Of¬ 
fice of the Church) 

“What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man 
that Thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little less than the 
angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor.” (Ps. viii, 5, 6) 

“David said to [Miphiboseth] . . . Thou shalt eat bread at my table 
always. He bowed down to him and said: Who am I thy servant, that 
thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am?” (2 Kings ix, 7 f.) 

However great the favor granted by David to the son of Jonathan, 
what was it in comparison with the favor bestowed on the faithful 
soul that receives as nourishment its God, its Redeemer ? At that 
moment the soul becomes the spouse of its God, the temple of the Di¬ 
vinity; it shares in the privilege of the most holy Virgin, in the mystery 


482 


ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION 


of the Incarnation of the Word. What glory! What honor! This 
God of love is not content with assuming our nature; to satisfy His 
love He found it necessary to give Himself to each one of us in par¬ 
ticular by giving us as food not only the human nature which He took 
to Himself, but the Divine Nature also. What more could He do to 
raise up the creature? 

“Christ is all in all to us.” (S. Ambr.) 

If the happiness of a soul that receives Jesus Christ is to be com¬ 
pared to Mary’s happiness, what purity, what dispositions does not 
so precious a gift demand? The Church is filled with astonishment that 
the Son of God should have descended into the chaste womb of Mary. 

“When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man, Thou didst not abhor 
the Virgin’s womb.” (Te Deum) 

What precautions then should we not take to avoid making a mon¬ 
strous alliance of Belial with Jesus Christ? 

“Thou didst feed the people with the food of angels, and gavest 
them bread from heaven, prepared without labor; having in it all that 
is delicious and the sweetness of every taste.” (Wis. xvi, 20) 

“The Lord of angels becomes man, that man might eat the Bread 
of angels.” (S. Aug.) 

“Man eats the Bread of angels as often as he receives the Sacrament 
of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; for they eat the same Food, 
although not in the same manner.” (S. Lawr. Just.) 

“Whilst we are united to Him, we are made one body and one flesh 
with Christ.” (S. Chrys.) 

“What shepherd feeds his sheep with his own blood? But He 
[Christ] feeds us with His own Blood, and in all things unites us to 
Himself.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Parents often give their children to others to be nourished. But I, 
Christ says, do not act thus; I support you with My own Flesh, and I 
place you close to Myself.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Consider what distinguished honor, what rank you enjoy at this 
table.” (S. Chrys.) 

“By this most sacred Food Christ draws us into His own nature, and 
makes us like to God.” (S. Dion.) 

II. THE ADVANTAGES FOUND IN THE GRACES WHICH CHRIST 
COMMUNICATES TO THE SOUL 

Since Jesus Christ gives Himself to the soul in so intimate a manner 
in the Sacrament of His love, it must be admitted that He has great 
designs in regard to us, and that we can hope for all kinds of graces by 
a good Communion. 

“He that spared not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us 


INTIMATE UNION WITH CHRIST 483 

all, how hath He not also, with Him given us all things.” (Rom. viii, 
32 ) 

The heavenly Manna, which Jesus Christ gives us for food, contains 
all kinds of virtues and extends to all our necessities. It serves at the 
same time both as a food and a remedy: (1) as a food, to preserve 
and increase in us the life of grace; (2) as a remedy, to cure our in¬ 
firmities and preserve us from the death of sin. 

1. The Holy Eucharist as a Food 

Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist under the appearance of 
bread and wine to make known to us the wonderful effects it produces 
in our souls. For, as bread and wine support the life of the body, 
preserving and increasing our strength, so this heavenly Food preserves 
in us grace, which is the life of the soul, causes us to increase in virtue, 
and raises us above ourselves in such a way, that from earthly men we 
become men all heavenly. 

“The Eucharist nourishes the faithful man with itself, and from a 
worldly man makes him heavenly.” (S. Cypr.) 

“The Communion makes us like to God.” (S. Denis) 

The other Sacraments give grace, but this contains the Author of 
all grace. What strength and vigor do we not then receive in eating 
this Bread come down from Heaven? Have you ever been more faith¬ 
ful to your duties than on the day when you nourished yourself with 
this Bread of the strong? 

“We come away from this table like lions breathing fire, being made 
terrible to the devil.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The adversary is terrified when he sees the lips of a Christian red 
with the Blood [of Christ] ; for he knows that the token of his damna¬ 
tion is at hand, and he cannot endure the instrument of the divine 
victory by which he was made captive and crushed.” (S. Peter 
Damian) 

The Eucharist sustained the first Christians against the attacks of 
their enemies; in it they found nourishment and strength; and their 
numbers increased in spite of persecution. 

“By the fruits of their corn, their wine and oil, they were multiplied.” 
(Ps. iv, 8) 

“The world has been conquered by the Sacrament of the Body of 
Christ.” (S. Aug.) 

We should not be so often overcome by the enemies of our salvation, 
if, following the example of the early Christians, we took the precau¬ 
tion to receive frequently and with proper dispositions the heavenly 
Bread of the Divine Eucharist. This precious Food would not only 
preserve in us the life of grace by strengthening us against the enemies 


484 ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION 

who cause us to lose it; it would increase grace in our souls, and enable 
us to advance from virtue to virtue. This heavenly Meat gives a fresh 
increase to all Christian virtues; it animates faith, strengthens hope, 
and perfects charity. 

a) Holy Communion animates faith 

“They knew Him in the breaking of bread.” (Luke xxiv, 35) 

“We are nourished not by what we see, but by what we believe.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.” (John xx, 

29) 


b) It strengthens hope 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 
xxvi, 1) 

“Whilst it is said to me: Where is thy God ? Why art thou sad, 
O my soul ? And why dost thou trouble me ? Hope in God . . . the 
salvation of my countenance and my God.” (Ps. xli, 4-7) 

“It gives us hope of future things. Indeed He who has given us 
Himself in this life, will give Himself to us in a much higher degree 
in the next.” (S. Chrys.) 

“I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call upon the name 
of the Lord.” (Ps. cxv, 13) 

c) It perfects charity 

“I to my Beloved, and my Beloved to me.” (Cant, vi, 2) 

“What is the characteristic of those who eat the Bread and drink of 
the Cup of God? They no longer live in themselves, but in Him who 
died for them.” (S. Basil) 

“By the Body and Blood which we daily eat and drink in the church 
we are made partakers in the supreme charity.” (S. Aug.) 

“The martyrs were inebriated with this chalice when, going to their 
death, they refused to yield to the entreaties of their relatives.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me.” (Ps. xxii, 4) 

“Thou hast prepared a table before me, against them that afflict me 
. . . and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!” (Ps. 
xxii, 5, 6) 

“For what is the good thing of Him, and what is His beautiful 
thing, but the corn of the elect and wine springing forth virgins.” 
(Zach. ix, 17) 


INTIMATE UNION WITH CHRIST 485 

“Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, 
you shall not have life in you.” (John vi, 54) 

“The Bread that I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world.” 
(Ibid., 52) 

“This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven: that if any man 
eat of it, he may not die.” (Ibid., 50) 

“As often as you shall eat this Bread and drink the Chalice, you 
shall shew the death of the Lord until He come.” (1 Cor. xi, 26) 

“The soul that is not strengthened by the reception of the Eucharist, 
does not remain firm.” (S. Cypr.) 

“We do not leave unarmed and destitute those whom we rouse up 
and exhort to combat, but we fortify them by the protection of the 
Body and Blood of Christ.” (S. Cypr.) 

“How shall he die to whom food is life?” (S. Ambr.) 

“The Body of Christ vivifies, and participation in it leads to incor¬ 
ruption.” (S. Cyr. Alex.) 

“In this Sacrament Christ calms our raging passions, heals our 
wounds, and checks our angry thoughts.” (S. Cyr. Alex.) 

“You come together to break the one Bread which is the salve of 
immortality, the preservative against death, giving us life always in 
Christ Jesus.” (S. Ignat.) 

“To drink this, what is it but to live? Eat life, drink life.” (S. 

Aug-) 

“If material food restores day by day our failing bodily strength, 
the same must be admitted of this immortal Food, in which life itself 
is given to us.” (Paschas.) 

“If, as often as the Blood is shed, it is poured out for the remission 
of sin, I should always receive it, so that my sins may be always for¬ 
given, I who am always committing sin should have medicine always.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

2. The Holy Eucharist as a Remedy 

The soul is purified from all stain by the divine fire of charity, which 
is communicated to it in the Holy Eucharist. This fire effaces the 
pollution of sin in such a way that the heavenly Food, which serves 
as nourishment for the soul, is at the same time a remedy that heals 
its wounds and cures our infirmities. . . . Have you still some temporal 
punishment to undergo? This Sacrament will remit it for you, and 
will end by purifying you. Has your soul been disfigured in the eyes 
of its chaste Spouse by the daily faults into which even the most holy 
souls sometimes fall? This heavenly antidote will cure you of this 
deformity, and give back to your soul its first beauty. 


486 


ADVANTAGES OF HOLY COMMUNION 


“The antidote by which we are freed from daily faults and pre¬ 
served from mortal sins.” (Council of Trent, S. xiii, c. 2) 

“This Sacrament produces a twofold effect in us;—it diminishes the 
affection for lighter sins, and takes away altogether the consent to 
those that are graver.” (S. Bern.) 

Are you overcome by a deadly languor, which gives you a distaste 
for the things of God? 

“Come to Me all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light.” (Matth. xi, 28, 30) 

“Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.” (Ps. xxxiii, 9) 

“Come, eat My Bread and drink the Wine which I have mingled for 
you.” (Prov. ix, 5) 

“Arise, eat; for thou hast yet a great way to go. And he [Elias] 
arose, and ate and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty 
days and forty nights, unto the mountain of God, Horeb.” (3 Kings 
xix, 7, 8) 

“They were persevering in the communication of the breaking of 
Bread.” (Acts ii, 42) 

“The poor shall eat and shall be filled: and they shall praise the Lord 
that seek Him: their hearts shall live for ever and ever.” (Ps. 
xxi, 27) 

“Give us this day our supersubstantial bread.” (Matth. vi, 11) 

“This is the Bread of eternal life, which strengthens our soul.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“Christ is my food, Christ is my drink; I do not now await the yearly 
harvest; Christ is given to me daily.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Our body attains to immortality, being united to the immortality of 
the Body of Christ.” (S. Greg. Nyss.) 

“Men take food and drink so as not to suffer from hunger and 
thirst: but this bestows only that food and drink which renders in¬ 
corruptible and immortal those who partake of it.” (S. Aug.) 

“This spiritual nourishment does not permit the nobility of the soul 
to fail. By this food the image of royalty is faithfully preserved in 
our souls.” (S. Chrys.) 

“He will possess us and we shall possess Him.” (S. Aug.) 

“How will not that soul exult which feels itself made worthy of the 
presence of the Divine Word?” (S. Lawr. Just.) 

“O Lord, it is written of this Bread: All those that withdraw from 
you shall perish.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Come, O Lord, and delay not.” (Office 2nd Sunday in Advent) 

“Lord, I am not worthy, . . . but only say the word,” etc. 



THE HOLY ENCHARIST AS A REMEDY 


487 


Divisions 

I 

Fruits and advantages of Holy Communion. 

1. It is a preservative for sinners who rise up from the state of sin, 
and strive not to fall back into it. 

2. It is a strengthening food for the just; it causes them to increase 
in virtue, and renders them stronger and more robust. 

3. It is a feast of delights for the perfect, who taste unspeakable de¬ 
lights in it. 


II 

There are three classes of people who do not receive the graces and 
blessings which God destines for us in the Eucharistic feast: 

1. Those who rarely approach it and deprive themselves of the fruits 
they could draw from more Communions; 

2. Those who receive it without having on the nuptial robe, that is 
to say, without being in the state of grace; and who, far from receiving 
grace in Holy Communion, find in it their condemnation; 

3. Those who receive it with tepidity, preserving an affection for and 
an attachment to habitual and dangerous venial sins. 


LXXXI 


DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING, AND THANKSGIVING 
AFTER, HOLY COMMUNION 

“Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek.” 

(Matth. xxi, 5) 

Jesus Christ is this King. He is so full of goodness that He finds 
His delight in entering into our souls. Ah! since He takes pleasure 
in giving Himself to us, let us do all in our power to receive Him 
worthily. Consider I. What we should do before Communion; II. 
What we should do after Communion. 

I. WHAT WE SHOULD DO BEFORE COMMUNION 

When there is question of receiving the Adorable Body and Precious 
Blood of Jesus Christ, we should address this prayer to God: 

“Grant that we may approach with faith, holiness, and desire/’ (S. 
Ephrem.) 

(1) The Holy Eucharist is a great mystery: we should approach it 
with faith; (2) It is a Sacrament of life: we should receive it in a 
state of grace; (3) It is a mystery of love: we should have a great 
desire to participate in it. 

1. The Holy Eucharist is a great mystery 

The first thing Jesus Christ did, in the design which He had of in¬ 
stituting the Eucharist, was to try the faith of His disciples. 

“He sent Peter and John saying: Go and prepare for us the pasch 
that we may eat. But they said: Where wilt Thou that we prepare? 
and He said to them: Behold, as you go into the city, there shall meet 
you a man carrying a pitcher of water. . . . And he will show you a 
large dining room furnished; and there prepare. And they going found 
as He said to them, and made ready the pasch.” (Luke xxii, 8-13) 

Faith is also the first disposition He demands from us in order to 
communicate. Our Saviour must dwell in our hearts by faith before 
we receive Him into our bodies in Holy Communion. But how should 
our faith be ? It should be enlightened, humble, and full of respect. 

It should be an enlightened faith. We should be instructed in the 
truths taught by the Church regarding this adorable mystery. 

It should be a faith humble and free from all curiosity. Our senses 


WHAT WE SHOULD DO BEFORE COMMUNION 489 

cannot penetrate this mystery; we see one thing, we must believe an¬ 
other. We must bring under the yoke of faith not only our senses, 
but our understanding as well, and not say as the Jews said: 

“How can this Man give us His flesh to eat? . . . This saying is 
hard.” (John vi, 53, 61) 

“It is hard, but to unbelievers only.” (S. Aug.) 

“[But] I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief.” (Mark ix, 23) 

“In receiving this divine mystery we must have a faith free from 
all curiosity.” (S. Cyril Alex.) 

“Judge not the matter from the taste; but from faith be fully assured 
without misgiving that thou hast been vouchsafed the Body and Blood 
of Christ.” (S. Cyr. Jerus.) 

“Faith for all defects supplying where the feebler senses fail.” 
(Off. of the Church) 

“Sight, touch, and taste in Thee are each deceived; we must trust to 
faith alone. I believe whatever the Son of God has said. There is 
nothing truer than this Word of Truth.” (S. Thos.) 

It should be a faith full of respect. Prepare to receive the Blessed 
Sacrament with a holy fear. If a great man invited you to his table, 
how profound would be your respect and modesty. 

“The work is great, for a house is prepared not for man, but for 
God.” (1 Paral. xxix, 1) 

“Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith.” (Heb. 
x, 22) 

“We can understand by a judgment illuminated by faith, and we 
should believe most firmly.” (Council of Trent) 

“ ‘Take ye and eat: this is My Body’ . . . who will henceforth dare 
to doubt? Who, I say, will doubt and say that this is not His Blood?” 
(S. Cyril) 

“Faith has no merit when human reason makes a trial.” (S. Greg.) 

2. It is a Sacrament of the living and must be received in the state 

of grace 

If you are not in that state, you must have recourse to the Sacrament 
of Penance. 

“Let a man prove himself; and so let him eat of that Bread, and 
drink of the Chalice.” (1 Cor. xi, 28) 

“What does the word ‘prove’ mean here? unless it be to purge out 
the malice of sins, and show oneself acceptable at the table of the 
Lord?” (S. Greg.) 

“Holy things are for those who are holy. If a man is not holy, let 
him not approach.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Our life exists in the Body of Christ; let him, therefore, who wishes 


490 DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING COMMUNION 

to receive life, change his life. If he does not change his life he shall 
receive life at the judgment.” (S. Aug.) 

“ ‘Let a man prove himself.’ This proving is necessary, so that no 
one conscious of mortal sin, however sorry he may seem to himself to 
be, should approach the Holy Eucharist without having previously 
made a sacramental confession.” (Council of Trent, S. xiii, c. 7) 

“Give not that which is holy to dogs.” (Matth. vii, 6) 

“Without are dogs.” (Apoc. xxii, 15) 

“Verily, the Bread of children must not be given to dogs.” (Office 
of the Church) 

“A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any mercy 
under two or three witnesses: how much more do you think he de- 
serveth worse punishments, who hath trodden under foot the Son of 
God, and hath esteemed the blood of the testament unclean, by which 
he was sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the Spirit of grace?” 
(Heb. x, 28, 29) 

“How earnest thou in hither, not having on a wedding garment?” 
(Matth. xxii, 12) 

“If any senator, or even the agent of a man great in the estimation 
of the world, wished to dwell with you as your guest, and should say 
to you: A certain thing in your house is offensive to me; even though 
you loved that thing, would you not take it away, lest you should 
offend him whose friendship you coveted?” (S. Aug.) 

“Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. ... I will, be thou 
made clean. . . . Shew thyself to the priest.” (Matth. viii, 2-4) 

3. It is a mystery of love 

We must have a great desire to partake of it, in order to show our 
gratitude in some way for that ardent desire which Christ has had 
to communicate Himself to us in the adorable Sacrament. 

“With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you.” (Luke 
xxii, 15) 

“My delights are to be with the children of men.” (Prov. viii, 31) 

“Come, eat My bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for 
you.” (Prov. ix, 5) 

“Drink ye all of this; for this is My Blood.” (Matth. xxvi, 27) 

But this desire should be real and sincere; it should come from the 
bottom of the heart, which, feeling its misery, has recourse to Him who 
alone can cure it. We must bring to the holy table sighs of sorrow 
and repentance, of humility and confusion, of love and longing. 

“Before I eat I sigh.” (Job iii, 24) 

“As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth 
after Thee, O God.” (Ps. xli, 1) 


WHAT WE SHOULD DO AFTER COMMUNION 491 

“Run quickly with longing desire to the fountain of grace. ,, (S. 
Aug.) 

“The stag is so thirsty that he eats serpents. But your vices are 
serpents. Consume the serpents of iniquity, and then you will more 
fully desire the fountain of truth.”(S. Aug.) 

“How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul long- 
eth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 2, 3) 

“Come, O Lord, and delay not.” (Office 2nd Sunday of Advent) 

“We ought to hunger after Christ as our food by desiring Him in 
our inmost heart.” (S. Thos.) 

“The hungry are not filled unless they abstain from all vice, and 
receive the divine Sacraments in the fulness of virtue.” (S. Greg.) 

“Draw near to it and be enlightened; draw near, it is said, not in 
carriage, but in soul; not by the movement of the body, but by the af¬ 
fections of the heart.” (S. Aug.) 

“He hath filled the hungry with good things.” (Luke i, 53) 

“He hath filled the hungry soul with good things.” (Ps. cvi, 9) 

“What manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved? . . . He is all 
lovely.” (Cant, v, 9, 16) 

“This Bread requires the hunger of the interior man.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let no one who is squeamish or languid approach; but let all draw 
near who are eager, burning, and fervent.” (S. Chrys.) 

II. WHAT WE SHOULD DO AFTER COMMUNION 

I. The first thing we should do after having communicated is to 
thank the Divine Guest, who has honored us by taking up His abode in 
us; to annihilate ourselves in His presence, to pour forth our heart 
in praise, to acknowledge how utterly powerless we are to thank 
Him worthily, to call upon all creation to praise Him for and 
with us. 

“All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him 
above all for ever.” (Dan. iii, 57) 

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and let all that is within me bless His 
holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath 
done for thee.” (Ps. cii, 1, 2) 

This is also the example left us by the Apostles, Judas excepted. 

“A hymn being said, they went out unto Mount Olivet.” (Matth. 
xxvi, 30) 

“After the morsel Satan entered into him [Judas]. ... He went 
out immediately.” (John xiii, 27, 30) 

“Those who go away before they have made their thanksgiving imitate 
Judas.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If thou didst know the gift of God.” (John iv, 10) 


492 DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING COMMUNION 


“Her conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tedious¬ 
ness.” (Wis. viii, 16) 

“Rejoice and praise, O thou habitation of Sion; for great is He that 
is in the midst of thee, the holy One of Israel.” (Is. xii, 6) 

“Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good 
gift overpass thee.” (Eccli. xiv, 14) 

“We are come in a good day.” (1 Kings xxv, 8) 

“This day is salvation come to this house.” (Luke xix, 9) 

“The Lord ruleth me, and I shall not want. He hath set me in a 
place of pasture.” (Ps. xxii, 1, 2) 

“What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath 
rendered to me? I will take the chalice of salvation and I will call 
upon the name of the Lord.” (Ps. cxv, 12, 13) 

2. In the second place, after Communion, we should converse lov¬ 
ingly with Jesus, place before Him our miseries and our weaknesses, 
beseech Him to have pity on us, ask of Him the graces we require in 
order to persevere in the work of our salvation, tell Him of our needs 
and of the needs of those dear to us. 

“Say to my soul: I am thy salvation.” (Ps. xxxiv, 3) 

“I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” (Gen. xxxii, 26) 

“Let my Beloved come into His garden [my heart], and eat the fruit 
of His apple-trees.” (Cant, v, 1) 

“Who forgiveth all thy iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases?” 
(Ps. cii, 3) 

3. Again, after having received Jesus Christ in Holy Communion, 
we should resolve to remain inseparably united to Him. That is the 
end He proposed to Himself in instituting the Blessed Sacrament. 

“Jesus knowing that His hour was come, . . . having loved His 
own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” (John 
xiii, 1) 

“Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
world.” (Matth. xxviii, 20) 

“As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he 
that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me.” (John vi, 58) 

“O God, be not Thou far from me. . . . O God, forsake me not.” 
(Ps. lxx, 12, 18) 

“I found Him whom my soul loveth; I held Him, and I will not let 
Him go.” (Cant, iii, 4) 

“My son, give me thy heart.” (Prov. xxiii, 26) 

“Uphold me according to Thy word.” (Ps. cxviii, 116) 

It is not then for some days, some months only, but forever, that 


WHAT WE SHOULD DO AFTER COMMUNION 493 


Jesus Christ wishes to dwell in us. When He ceases to be there by 
the real presence of His Body, He desires to dwell there by His grace; 
so that after having communicated we should desire to live for Him 
alone. “The same also shall live by Me.” (John vi, 58). After this, 
what shall we say of those Christians who, on going out from the holy 
table, fall back again into the same sins which they seemed to have given 
up, engaging themselves anew in the same sinful habits ? 

“Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this . . . saith the Lord. My peo¬ 
ple have done two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of liv¬ 
ing water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that 
can hold no water.” (Jer. ii, 12, 13) 

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak.” (Ps. vi, 3) 

“Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.” (Ps. xl, 5) 

“He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever.” (John vi, 59) 

“I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. ii, 20) 

“O sacred banquet, in which Christ is taken,” etc. 

“May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto life 
everlasting. Amen.” (Missal) 


Divisions 

I 

To receive Jesus Christ worthily in the Holy Communion, 1. We 
must be free from sin; 2. We must be exercised in the practice of virtue. 


1. We must be free from sin. 

The principal disposition for receiving Holy Communion is a great 
purity of soul. You owe it 

i°. To Jesus Christ, your divine Guest; 

2°. To yourselves, because without that disposition this Food, instead 
of being for you a source of life and salvation, would be the cause of 
your death and condemnation. 

2. We must be exercised in the practice of virtue. 

i°. We must be animated by a lively faith, 

2°. We must be penetrated by a holy fear, 

3 0 . We must be inflamed by a love all divine ■. 

These are the proximate dispositions required in all who wish to 
approach the holy table. “Draw near with confidence, with fear, and 
with love.” 



494 DISPOSITIONS FOR RECEIVING COMMUNION 


II 

1. Necessity of preparation in order to receive the fruits of Holy 
Communion: 

2. In what this preparation consists: 
i°. Purity of conscience; 

2°. Sentiments of respect; 

3 °. Filial fear; 

4 °. Humble confidence; 

5 °. Great desire, sorrow, love. 

III 

1. Importance of thanksgiving; 

2. Different sentiments that may be elicited after Communion. 


LXXXII 


FREQUENT COMMUNION 

“A certain man made a great supper and invited many.” (Luke xiv, 
16) 

What is this supper which Jesus Christ wished to represent to us in 
this parable? It is the Eucharistic banquet. And for this ineffable 
gift which our Lord offers us, He receives from the greater number of 
Christians only indifference and ingratitude. Although the Saviour 
invites them to come to Him and to eat at His table, the greater num¬ 
ber, like those whom the Gospel mentions as having been invited, give 
empty excuses to justify their absence. They feel nothing but disrelish 
for a Food which they should ardently desire and eagerly receive, a 
Food in which they would find the source of all grace and the pledge 
of immortality. Nevertheless, I. There is nothing more pressing than 
the motives which urge us to communicate often; II. Nothing more 
frivolous than the excuses we bring forward for not doing so. 

I. THERE IS NOTHING MORE PRESSING THAN THE MOTIVES WHICH URGE 
US TO COMMUNICATE FREQUENTLY 

For (i) Our Lord desires and invites us to do so; (2) it is in our 
own interest. 


1. Our Lord desires and invites us. 

Who could fully express the desire that fills the heart of Christ to 
give Llimself to us in the august Sacrament which He instituted to be 
the Food of our souls? 

“With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you before I 
suffer.” (Luke xxii, 15) 

It was to satisfy this desire that He instituted the adorable Sacrament 

of our altars. j 

“Jesus took bread ... and said: Take ye and eat: this is My Body. 
And taking the Chalice He gave thanks, and gave to them saying: 
Drink ye all of this. For this is My Blood.” (Matth. xxvi, 26-28) 
As bread and wine were the ordinary and most necessary nourishment 
of people in the Orient, Christ wished by this choice to make known 
His desire that men should frequently receive Holy Communion. Is 

495 


496 FREQUENT COMMUNION 

it not this which He gives us to understand in the parable in which He 
compares Himself to a man who made a great feast, to which he invited 
many people? 

“He invited many. . . . Compel them to come in, that my house may 
be filled.” (Luke xiv, 16, 23) 

He sends His servants, who are the ministers of His Gospel, to in¬ 
vite all men. He multiplies Himself, He reproduces Himself, in an 
infinite number of places, by the power which He has given to His 
priests to change bread into His Body. Why has He taken such meas¬ 
ures and performed such miracles, if not to satisfy the desire He has 
of uniting Himself to us? He gives to all, to the poor as well as the 
rich, the most pressing invitation: 

“Come, eat My Bread and drink the Wine which I have mingled for 
you.” (Prov. ix, 5) 

“Eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.” 
(Cant, v, 1) 

“My delights were to be with the children of men.” (Prov. viii, 31) 

“A rich man gives an invitation and the poor man hastens to accept 
it; we are called to the banquet of God, and we make excuses for not 
going.” (S. Aug.) 

It was to correspond to this eager desire of our Saviour that the 
early Christians received Holy Communion every day. 

“They were persevering in the communication of the breaking of 
bread.” (Acts ii, 42) 

But the pristine fervor gradually grew cold, and owing to the luke¬ 
warmness of many Christians, who would perhaps have remained away 
longer, the Church was obliged to command that the faithful should 
receive Holy Communion at least at Easter; but she urges, she 
exhorts, she entreats her children to receive the Bread of Angels more 
frequently. 

“The holy Synod desires that the faithful assisting at each Mass 
should communicate not only in spiritual desire, but also by the sac¬ 
ramental reception of the Eucharist.” (Council of Trent, S. xxii, c. 6) 

2. Our own interest urges us to communicate often 

The greatest, or to speak truly, the only interest we have to deal with 
in this world, is the salvation of our soul. But one of the most effica¬ 
cious means of sanctifying ourselves is the frequent reception of the 
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; and that for two reasons: i°. Fre¬ 
quent communion procures a great number of graces for the soul that 
communicates; and 2°. in order to render itself worthy of these graces, 
the soul that communicates often brings to the holy table dispositions 
that contribute very much to its holiness and perfection. 


MOTIVES FOR COMMUNICATING FREQUENTLY 497 

i°. What an abundance of graces do we not find in the reception of 
a Sacrament that contains the Author and Source of all grace ? Graces 
of light that make us know the good we should do, the evil we should 
avoid. Graces of strength that enable us to triumph over our passions 
and our spiritual enemies. But if a single Communion well made fills 
the soul with a great abundance of graces, how much will not this Com¬ 
munion, repeated many times, multiply and increase the heavenly gifts 
which God pours down on souls that are well prepared? Yes, Holy 
Communion is the source of graces; it is in it that a God, hidden 
under the Eucharistic veils, enlightens, strengthens, sanctifies, and 
purifies us, and makes us perfect. 

“The heart is filled with grace.” (Office of the Church) 

“To communicate every day and to partake of the Body and Blood 
of Christ is a beautiful and very advantageous custom, He Himself 
clearly saying: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has 
eternal life.” (S. Basil) 

“In vain do we assist at the altar if there is no one to communi¬ 
cate: if thou art not worthy of the Victim nor of the prayer.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

2 0 . Are there not wonderful helps to holiness in those dispositions 
which he who communicates often must bring to the holy table in 
order to make himself worthy of the graces attached to frequent 
Communion? He knows that in order to communicate often, it is 
not enough to have the soul pure and free from all mortal sin, which 
would cause him to find death in the very Fountain of life; he knows 
also that he must purify himself from the smallest stains that could 
be displeasing to the infinite holiness of Him whom he is about to 
receive. Hence the care he takes to avoid the least imperfections, to 
be more recollected during prayer, more watchful over the movements 
of his heart, more prudent in conversation, more reserved in his 
actions, more patient in suffering, more regular in his whole life. But 
are not such dispositions efficacious means for sanctifying the soul? 
What a difference in manners and conduct do we not remark between 
those who communicate often and those who rarely communicate? 
Is it not true that libertines seldom, if ever, approach the Sacraments, 
and that they became what they are only after having abandoned the 
Source of grace? 

Will it be said that there are some who communicate often and 
who are no better than those who receive Holy Communion only at 
long intervals? Take care in the first place not to attribute to others 
vices to which they are not subject. In the second place, remark that 
those who communicate often and do not become better, cling to the 
defective dispositions with which they receive Holy Communion. 


498 


FREQUENT COMMUNION 


Whatever the profit may be which is gained from frequent Commun¬ 
ion, it will be always true to say that this practice has made saints, 
and that the best Christians are those who frequently receive the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

“We ask that this Bread be given to us every day, lest, staying 
away and not communicating, we may be kept at a distance from this 
heavenly Bread and separated from the Body of Christ.” (S. Cypr.) 

“We should fear and pray, lest, when any one abstaining is separated 
from the Body of Christ, he may remain far from salvation, as Christ 
Himself warns us, saying: Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of 
man, you shall not have life in you.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Christ is my food, Christ is my drink. I no longer await the future 
to be satisfied; Christ is given to me every day.” (S. Cypr.) 

“By the Body and Blood with which we are daily nourished in the 
Church, we are made partakers of one supreme Charity.” (S. Aug.) 

“If as often as the Blood is poured out, it is shed for the remission 
of sins, I should always receive it so that my sins may be always for¬ 
given. I who am constantly committing sin should receive the medi¬ 
cine constantly.” (S. Amber.) 

II. FRIVOLOUS EXCUSES GIVEN FOR NOT RECEIVING HOLY 
COMMUNION FREQUENTLY 

Is it not astonishing that, notwithstanding the great desire which 
Christ shows to unite Himself to us in the Sacrament of His love, 
notwithstanding the advantages we receive from this union, the greater 
number of men remain indifferent to it ? 

Some, like those of whom the Gospel speaks, who excused them¬ 
selves for not going to the supper because they had bought a farm 
and had to visit it, give as a reason the great amount of business in 
which they are engaged. Others, like the man who had married a 
wife and could not leave her, give as an excuse for not communicating 
often the violence of the passions that tyrannize over them and render 
them unworthy to receive a Sacrament that demands the greatest purity. 
This pretence of business and unworthiness must be exposed, by mak¬ 
ing some see that frequent Communion is not incompatible with busi¬ 
ness, and by showing others that they can remove the obstacle of 
unworthiness. 

I. To prepare for Holy Communion, business people say, our minds 
must be recollected. But, how can we prepare for so holy an act 
when our minds are occupied with our families, our business, our 
work? Have we leisure to make the necessary proof of ourselves 
by a serious examination of conscience? 


EXCUSES FOR NOT RECEIVING COMMUNION 499 


You say that the cares of business do not permit you to recollect 
yourselves, to examine your conscience. But have you any business 
more important than that of your salvation? If the question of your 
salvation does not interest you, I have nothing to say to you, give 
yourselves up to the business of this world, and abandon that of your 
salvation. You will experience the same fate as those invited in the 
Gospel, you will despise the invitation given you by Jesus Christ to 
eat at His table in this life, you will not taste of the feast of delights 
which He has prepared for His elect: “None of those men that were 
invited shall taste of my supper.” (Luke xiv. 24) 

But does God ask you not to attend to your business? No; you 
can give to your worldly affairs all the care that is necessary, with¬ 
out forgetting the affair of eternity. Moreover, does your business 
so occupy your time that you cannot reserve a part of it in which 
to think of yourselves? You find sufficient time to give the neces¬ 
sary nourishment to your bodies. Do you, then, care less for your 
souls? You find time enough for parties of pleasure. Do not say 
it is time that is wanting to you; it is good will; it is tepidity, care¬ 
lessness regarding your salvation that causes you not to trouble your¬ 
selves in the least about it. 

2. Admit that the embarrassment of business is not the principal 
obstacle that prevents you from approaching the holy table. Besides 
tepidity and carelessness, there is your attachment to sin, to the object 
of a criminal passion; there is some property which is not yours, but 
which you unjustly retain; there is the hatred which you cherish 
against your neighbor. These are the obstacles which keep you away 
from Holy Communion, and furnish you with the pretext of unworth¬ 
iness, with which you justify your absence from the holy table. But 
this pretext is useless, since you can easily remove the obstacles. It 
depends on you only to place yourselves in a state to communicate 
often, by a change of conduct, the holiness of your lives, and the prac¬ 
tice of Christian virtues. In putting off Holy Communion, do you 
render yourselves more worthy of it? To what do you expose your¬ 
selves in not using the means necessary to receive frequently and 
worthily a Sacrament which, according to the precept of the Church, 
you should receive at least once a year, and also at the hour of death, 
a time when you would not wish to be deprived of it? You 
expose yourselves to the danger of profaning the Sacrament because 
it is very difficult to do well that which one does but rarely. Then, as 
you will not crush down your passions and put yourselves in a state 
of communicating often, these passions will produce in you habits 
which you will hardly ever root out. Thus when the time arrives for 


500 FREQUENT COMMUNION 

fulfilling the precept of Communion, you will be even less disposed 
than you are now, and the Sacrament that should make you holy will 
become the occasion of your reprobation. Should you not fear also 
that in punishment for the contempt with which you have treated the 
Blessed Sacrament during life, you may be deprived of it at death? 

Do not say that no matter what you do you will be always un¬ 
worthy of it; that you will never reach that state of holiness in which 
you should be in order to receive the God of holiness; that you re¬ 
main away from Holy Communion through respect, saying with S. 
Peter: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 
v. 8). Undoubtedly one could not be too pure in order to approach 
the Holy of holies. But Jesus Christ does not require anything im¬ 
possible; provided our conscience is free from all mortal sin, and that 
we do not retain any affection for venial sin, we shall be in a state of 
holiness to which each one can attain, and which is sufficient to allow us 
to communicate often. Christ requires us to have a sincere desire for 
our perfection, a desire that makes us employ the necessary means for 
arriving at it; but the best means for arriving at perfection is frequent 
Communion. He invites us to make use of this means, notwithstanding 
our infirmities. 

“Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you.” (Matth. xi, 28) 

“One through respect dare not receive each day; another through 
respect dare not omit a day. Neglect only must not be shown to this 
Divine Food.” (S. Aug.) 

“Receive every day that which does you good every day. So live 
that you may deserve to receive daily. He who does not deserve to re¬ 
ceive every day does not deserve to receive every year.” (S. Aug.) 

“If a man’s sins are not so great as that he seems to be excom¬ 
municated, he should not abstain from receiving daily the medicine of 
the Body of Christ.” (S. Aug.) 

“I neither praise nor blame those who receive the Eucharist every 
day; but I advise and exhort those whose minds are free from affection 
to sin, to receive the Holy Communion on Sundays and feasts.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“It is presumption not to approach frequently, but to approach un¬ 
worthily even once.” (S. Chrys.) 

“A longer interval of time, not purity of soul, is considered a merit. 
The Pasch is always prepared for him who is pure of heart. (Id.) 

“Just as there is great danger in receiving Holy Communion coldly, 
so there is death and destruction in not receiving it at all.” (Id.) 

“There are some who think that they are doing penance when they 
abstain from the heavenly Sacraments; they judge themselves more se- 


EXCUSES FOR NOT RECEIVING COMMUNION 501 


verely, but when they impose punishment on themselves they turn away 
from the remedy.” (S. Ambr.) 

“To approach unworthily is to deserve a fearful judgment, but to 
remain away through gross carelessness or contempt, is to incur con¬ 
demnation.” (S. Bonav.) 

“If it is Bread and daily Bread, why do you eat it once a year only?” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“There can be but one cause of sorrow for us, to be deprived of this 
Food.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If thou didst know the gift of God.” (John iv, 10) 

“Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which en- 
dureth unto life everlasting, which the Son of Man will give you.” 
(John vi, 27) 

“Behold, they that go far from Thee shall perish.” (Ps. lxxii, 27) 
“Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” 
(John vi, 69) 


Divisions 

I 

1. The purity of life requisite for receiving Holy Communion should 
not be generally, nor in itself, an obstacle to frequent Communion. 

2. Frequent Communion itself is one of the most powerful means 
for attaining to great purity of life. 

II 

Motives that should induce us to communicate often: 

1. We should communicate often because Christ invites us to do so, 
and such, it can be said, has been His design in giving Himself to man 
under the form of food. 

2. We should communicate often because the Church exhorts us to 
do so. We know what the practice of the first Christians was, and 
what the Church, in the Council of Trent, teaches on this point. 

3. We should communicate often because our needs and our interests 
urge us to do so. 



LXXXIII 

SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION 


“Whosoever shall eat this Bread, or drink the Chalice of the Lord un¬ 
worthily, shall be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord. . . . 
He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to 
himself, not discerning the Body of the Lord.” (i Cor. xi, 27, 29) 

As God is a Being of infinite knowledge, there is nothing, no matter 
how secret it may be, which He does not see and know. You may tell 
a lie to God, says S. Augustine, but you cannot deceive Him. With 
what feelings of humility and fear we would approach the holy table, 
if we were fully persuaded that this great God enters into us by means 
of Holy Communion, in order to examine the dispositions of our 
hearts, and to judge and condemn us if these dispositions are imperfect. 
Where is the hypocrite who does not tremble at the foot of our holy 
altars ? Where is the false devotee who is not seized with terror when 
he receives Holy Communion, if he believes that in communicating in 
mortal sin, he is receiving his Judge and eating his own judgment. 
Consider: I. The crime of a sacrilegious Communion; II. The pun¬ 
ishment of a sacrilegious Communion. 

I. THE CRIME OF A SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION 

That the gentiles should have adored idols, that the Jews should have 
often abandoned the religion of their fathers, we can to a certain extent 
account for by the evils of the times. But that Christians, born in the 
bosom of the Church, enlightened by the Faith, made the adopted chil¬ 
dren of God, should declare themselves enemies of God, attack Him in 
His Person, outrage Him in His own house, dishonor Him in all that 
is most sublime in His mysteries, in all that is most holy in His religion: 
—these are things so horrible that there is difficulty in conceiving and 
giving expression to them. It is the crime of all Christians who are 
sinners, but especially of those who communicate unworthily. Against 
these monsters in Christianity thunder-bolts rather than words, chastise¬ 
ments rather than threats, would be necessary. How shall I describe 
to you the character and the enormity of an unworthy Communion? 
Listen to S. Paul: 

“As often as you shall eat this Bread and drink the Chalice, you 

502 


A CRIME 


503 


shall shew the death of the Lord until He come. Therefore, whosoever 
shall eat this Bread or drink the Chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall 
be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord.” (1 Cor. xi, 
26, 27) 

Behold then the enormity of an unworthy Communion—to render 
oneself guilty of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. How does this 
happen? (1) Because the infinitely pure Body of the Son of God is 
united to flesh that is corrupted by sin; (2) Because the Man-God, the 
adorable Saviour, is attacked directly, personally, and immediately. 

1. In order to understand this monstrous union which the sinner 
forms of his own impure flesh with the pure Body of Christ, let us 
compare the holiness of God with the corruption of a soul in which sin 
dwells. 

“Who is like to Thee, among the strong, O Lord? Who is like to 
Thee, glorious in holiness, terrible and praiseworthy, doing wonders?” 
(Exod. xv, 11) 

What does a Christian who communicates unworthily do? He not 
only sins against Jesus Christ, but he makes a monstrous alliance of 
his own impure flesh with the Flesh of this God of sanctity. He not 
only dishonors the Saint of saints, but he obliges Him to dwell in the 
midst of corruption. The body of a Christian sinner is a corrupt body, 
a cesspool of infection and rottenness, and in attaching itself to a crea¬ 
ture, especially by impurity, it becomes the body of a prostitute. Then, 
by a result which makes us shudder, the adorable Body of Jesus Christ 
becomes in a certain sense the body of a thief, of an adulterer, of a 
prostitute. 

“Know you not that he who is joined to a harlot, is made one body? 
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of 
a harlot?” (1 Cor. vi, 16, 15) 

“I was profaned in the midst of them.” (Ezech. xxii, 26) 

“It is not less abominable to place the Son of God in a polluted mouth 
than in a dung-pit.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. An unworthy Communion attacks God directly and personally. 
It is not simple creatures that are offended by an unworthy Communion: 
it is the Creator Himself. Every time man sins, he breaks a law, he 
despises the authority of God; but every time he communicates un¬ 
worthily, he inflicts an outrage on the Author and Promulgator of the 
law, he tramples under foot the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, whom 
he crucifies anew, according to the words of S. Paul: 

“Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God and making Him 
a mockery.” (Hebr. vi, 6) 


5°4 


SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION 


“By transgression of the law thou dishonorest God.” (Rom. ii, 23) 

“In other sins we offend God in things that are His, but in this we 
offend Him in His own Person.” (S. Peter Damian) 

The Sacrifice of the Mass is not a figure of that of the Cross in such 
a manner as not to be a true sacrifice itself, because it is the same 
Victim that is offered. It is true, therefore, that the communicant who 
receives unworthily, renders himself in some manner guilty of all the 
crimes of the Jews. Like Judas, he gives Christ a sacrilegious kiss, 
like Caiphas, he believes it is necessary to put Christ to death, so as 
to allow his passions to live; like Herod, he loads Christ with oppro¬ 
brium and contempt, by receiving Him into a heart corrupted by sin; 
like Pilate, who delivered Christ to the will of His enemies, he delivers 
Him to the fury of his unruly passions, of his hatred, his revenge, his 
impurity, to the demon himself, because the devil is in the heart of an 
unworthy communicant as on his throne. Finally, like the executioners, 
he crucifies Him. 

“Oh! how many crimes are committed in one!” (S. Ambr.) 

' The unworthy communicant, then, renews the awful crime of Calvary 
in circumstances infinitely more horrible. Jesus Christ died on the 
Cross through love and obedience; but in the unworthy Communion, 
what a difference! The act of those who nailed Christ to the Cross 
was at least beneficial to men; it is for that purpose that He joyfully 
delivered Himself to death: 

“Having joy set before Him, He endured the Cross, despising the 
shame.” (Hebr. xii, 2) 

But what is the result of a sacrilegious Communion if not the anger 
of God and the condemnation of the sinner? Finally those who cru¬ 
cified our Lord did not know that He was the Son of God: 

“If they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of 
glory.” (1 Cor. ii, 8) 

“And now, brethren, I know that you did it through ignorance.” 
(Acts iii, 17) 

But a Christian knows by the light of Faith that Christ is his God, 
his Saviour, his Judge. There is no excuse for him. 

Ah! Lord, you hoped that all was accomplished, that nothing more 
remained for you to suffer. You said: “It is consummated!” Alas! 
a thousand fresh outrages, a thousand insults awaited You in the hearts 
of sacrilegious communicants. 

“The criminal is such as if he had killed the Lord and shed the 
Blood of Christ.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. 
And if he that hated me had spoken great things against me. I would 


THE PUNISHMENT 505 

perhaps have hidden myself from him. But thou a man of one mind, 
my guide and my familiar.” (Ps. liv, 13, 14) 

“Let a man prove himself; and so let him eat of that Bread and drink 
of the Chalice.” (1 Cor. xi, 28) 

“He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, he shall betray Me.” 
(Matth. xxvi, 23) 

II. THE PUNISHMENT OF A SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION 

The punishment being proportioned to the offence, we should have 
difficulty in finding a fitting punishment for the unparalleled crime of a 
sacrilegious Communion if the Apostle, after having given us an idea 
of the sin, had not himself pronounced the sentence: “He shall be 
guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord,” that is his crime, as 
you have seen; “He eats and drinks judgment to himself,” that is his 
sentence. 

“These words of the Apostle are so many thunderbolts.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

But what does this judgment include, and to what penalty does this 
sentence condemn the criminal? To lose all he has, (1) of the natural 
life, (2) of the spiritual life. 

1. Jesus Christ is the Principle, the Author, the Master of life and 
death; and as He often restores health and life to those who com¬ 
municate worthily, so Holy Communion is frequently an occasion of 
death to those who receive it in an unworthy manner. 

“It is death to the wicked, life to the good; though all receive the 
same, see how different the result.” (“ Lauda Sion ”) 

“A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any mercy. 
How much more do you think he deserveth worse punishments, who 
hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath esteemed the Blood 
of the testament unclean.” (Hebr. x, 28, 29) 

Public calamities, sickness, lingering illness, sudden deaths, are only 
too often the punishments inflicted by the justice of God, provoked by 
sacrilegious Communions. Consult the history of the Church and the 
Fathers. 

“A voice from the temple, the voice of the Lord rendereth recom¬ 
pense to His enemies.” (Is. lxvi, 6) 

See the visible carrying out of this sentence of death on the Jews and 
on the wretched Judas. This traitor has scarcely eaten the Body and 
drunk the Blood of Jesus Christ, when he is abandoned to the fury of 

the demon. . „ /T , ... . 

“After the morsel, Satan entered into him. (John xm, 27) 


5o6 


SACRILEGIOUS COMMUNION 


“One of you is a devil.” (John vi, 71) 

“Being hanged, he burst asunder in the midst; and all his bowels 
gushed out.” (Acts i, 18) 

The Jews cried out in their blind fury: 

“His Blood be upon us, and upon our children.” (Matth. xxvii, 25) 

And one would almost say that the wounds of Jesus Christ still dis¬ 
charge blood on their unhappy children, despised, hated, cursed by all 
nations; without country, without law, without altar, without God. 

“As yet their meat was in their mouth; and the wrath of God came 
upon them.” (Ps. lxxvii, 30) 

2. But that is only the smallest part of the chastisements that fall 
on the unworthy communicant. He is condemned to lose the spiritual 
life of the soul also, an infinitely greater evil. It is true that every 
mortal sin deprives the soul of the life of grace; but there remains the 
hope of recovering it. We have still in Jesus Christ an Advocate who 
pleads for us. But when, by a sacrilegious Communion, we have cru¬ 
cified Christ, outraged our Advocate, slaughtered our Victim, where 
shall we find another advocate to plead our cause ? 

“There is now left no sacrifice.” (Hebr. x, 26) 

“Unworthy communicants commit graver sins than others; they are 
more obstinate in evil, and slower to amend their lives.” (S. Laur. 
Just.) 

“Woe to such people. It would be better if they had never been born, 
for they sink more deeply into hell than any other.” (Revel, of S. 
Brigid) 

“Every man of your race that approacheth to those things that are 
consecrated, and which the children of Israel have offered to the Lord, 
in whom there is uncleanness, shall perish before the Lord.” (Levit. 
xxii, 3) 

Judas repented, but his repentance was useless; he died in final im¬ 
penitence and was damned. Behold the terrible punishment of him 
who approaches the table of the Lord without being in a state of grace. 

“He [the king] saith to him: Friend, how earnest thou in hither not 
having on a wedding garment? . . . Bind his hands and feet, and cast 
him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth.” (Matth. xxii, 12, 13) 

“Our life exists in the Body of Christ; let him who wishes to receive 
life change his life. If he does not change his life, he shall receive, not 
life, but condemnation.” (S. Aug.) 

What do you think of yourselves now ? What do you think of your 
Communions ? 

“Is it I, Lord?” (Matth. xxvi, 22) 


THE PUNISHMENT 


507 

“Be penitent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be 
blotted out.” (Acts iii, 19) 

“You cannot drink the Chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils; 
you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of 
devils.” (1 Cor. x, 21) 

“Let no one who feels a loathing or is languid, approach; but let all 
draw near who are stirred up, inflamed, and fervent.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Try your own selves if you be in the faith; prove ye yourselves.” 
(2 Cor. xiii, 5) 


Divisions 

I 

1. An unworthy Communion renews the passion of Christ in all its 
circumstances: the same perfidy that began the Passion begins the sac¬ 
rilege ; the same cruelty that consummated the one completes the other; 
the same vengeance that followed the Passion follows the unworthy Com¬ 
munion also. What did the treacherous disciple do? 

i°. Judas delivered the Saviour of the world to the Jews; the sacri¬ 
legious communicant delivers Christ to His most deadly enemies. 

2°. Judas betrayed Christ by a kiss; the profaner betrays Him by 
signs of the most tender friendship. 

3 0 . Judas delivered Him for vile gain; the unworthy communicant 
sells Him in order to satisfy the basest passions. 

2. I compare the sacrilegious communicant to the barbarous Jews, 
and I find in him, 

i°. A fury as passionate as theirs; 

2°. A malice even more wicked than theirs. 

3. God inflicts on the unworthy communicant the same evils with 
which He overwhelmed the Jews who crucified His Son. These evils 
are of two kinds, temporal and spiritual. 

II 

To lose the faith, to look on impiety without horror, to plunge into all 
kinds of vice, are three almost inevitable effects of bad communions. 



LXXXIV 


EXTREME UNCTION 

“They anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them/' 
(Mark vi, 13) 

The anointing with oil mentioned in these words is, according to the 
teaching of the Council of Trent, the mark or sign of the Sacrament of 
Extreme Unction, which was instituted by our Saviour. This divine 
institution was made known by the Apostle S. James in these words of 
his epistle: 

“Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the 
Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name 
of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the 
Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven 
him.” (Jas. v, 14, 15) 

These words indicate the minister, the form, the effects, and the mat¬ 
ter of the sacrament. Let us consider: I. The effects of Extreme Unc¬ 
tion ; II. The ceremonies of Extreme Unction and the dispositions re¬ 
quired for receiving the sacrament worthily. 


1. EFFECTS 

Extreme Unction is a sacrament instituted for the spiritual and bodily 
comfort of the sick. 

“The thing signified and the effect of this sacrament are explained in 
these words: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the 
Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins they shall be forgiven 
him. For the thing here signified is the grace of the Holy Ghost; 
whose anointing cleanses away sins, if there be any still to be expiated, 
as also the remains of sins; and raises up and strengthens the soul of 
the sick person, by exciting in him a great confidence in the divine 
mercy; whereby the sick man being supported, bears more easily the in¬ 
conveniences and pains of his sickness; and more readily resists the 
temptations of the devil who lies in wait for his heel; and at times ob¬ 
tains bodily health, when expedient for the welfare of the soul.” 
(Council of Trent, S. xiv, c. 2) 


508 


EFFECTS 


509 


1. Spiritual Comfort 

Extreme Unction gives the sick patience in his illness, strength to 
overcome temptations, and fortitude to bear bravely all the terrors of 
death, and purifies the soul from all remains of sin. 

a) It gives patience in sickness. The sick man being in the friend¬ 
ship of God, sustained by His grace, knows that his sufferings will bear 
fruit in eternity, and knowing that, he suffers without a complaint, 
without a murmur; he suffers with tranquillity. He cries out with the 
Apostle:— 

“I also suffer these things, but I am not confounded. For I know 
whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep that 
which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (2 Tim. i, 12) 

“I am filled with comfort. I exceedingly abound with joy in all our 
tribulations.” (2 Cor. vii, 4) 

“For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. 
While we look not at the things which are seen. . . . For the things 
which are seen, are temporal, but the things which are not seen, are 
eternal.” (2 Cor. iv, I7 -I 8) 

b) It gives strength and courage against the temptations and horrors 
of death! Fear, the sight of the tomb, the terror of God’s judgment, 
all attack the dying man most fearfully. But, soldier of Jesus Christ, 
what do you dread? You are armed with the sign of the Cross; your 
eyes, your mouth, all your senses, are strengthened by the efficacious 
unction of Christian athletes: behold yourself then prepared to fight 
the battles of the Lord! 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? if 
armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not 
fear. In the day of evils He hath protected me in the secret place of 

his tabernacle.” (Ps. xxvi, 1, 3, 5) 

c) Extreme Unction purifies the soul from the remains of sin. What 
are these remains? They are the temporal penalties which the sinner 
must suffer in this world or in the next, in expiation of sins already 
pardoned or of other lighter faults. These remains of sin are a certain 
sloth in doing good, a certain disinclination for virtue, a certain languor 
which follows spiritual sickness. But the holy Unction removes from 
the soul all the guilt there may be in that weakness. 

Extreme Unction even blots out sins. It is called by the Fathers the 
supplement and complement of Penance. No doubt, the Sacrament of 
Penance is, after Baptism, the fountain in which God wishes us to 
purify our souls from sin. Nevertheless, a person may, after having 
received absolution, fall again into mortal sin of which he is not aware, 


EXTREME UNCTION 


5io 

and which he does not confess. It may happen that he has not received 
valid absolution, something which he neither knows nor believes . . . 
or that he has forgotten some sin. In these cases if he receives Ex¬ 
treme Unction with a true sorrow for sin, he receives the pardon of 
his faults, as an effect proper to the holy Unction. “If he be in sins, 
they shall be forgiven him.” 

“Let us give unceasing thanks to God, who, as He has opened for 
us the entrance to true life by the Sacrament of Baptism, so also has 
instituted the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, in order that on our 
departure from this life we may more quickly reach heaven.” (Cate¬ 
chism of the Council of Trent) 

2. Health of the Body 

Extreme Unction helps to restore the health of the body if such is 
beneficial to the soul. 

Often sick people are terrified when there is question of receiving 
this Sacrament. They imagine that all is over with them, and that there 
is no hope of recovery. Help to undeceive them, since Extreme 
Unction is often a remedy against death itself. “The prayer of faith 
shall save the sick man.” 

II. CEREMONIES OF EXTREME UNCTION 

The anointing of the senses of the sick is made with oil consecrated 
for that purpose by a bishop. This holy oil signifies the interior grace 
which the sick person receives. 

The words pronounced by the priest when he is anointing the different 
senses, express the principal effect of the Sacrament. When anointing 
each sense he says: “By this holy anointing and by His most pious 
mercy, may the Lord forgive thee whatever thou hast committed by 
the sight, hearing, etc.” (Ritual) 

Ardent desires expressed by the Church in favor of her children! 
These efficacious words effect the remission of sin and the increase of 
grace at the same time. All this is accompanied by ceremonies and 
prayers of a sad and touching nature, which I am going to explain to you. 

On entering the sick-room the priest wishes peace to the afflicted 
house and to its inhabitants: “Peace to this house and to all who dwell 
in it.” He sprinkles holy water to purify the sick man and everything 
that surrounds him, and then recites some prayers. After this prepara¬ 
tion he proceeds to anoint the sick person. 

He anoints the eyes in order that God may pardon the sinful looks, 
the seductive glances, the reading of bad books, the criminal curiosity, 
of which the sick man may have been guilty in the course of his life. 

He anoints the ears that God may pardon all the faults which the 


DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED 511 

sick man may have committed in listening to so many lies, calumnies, 
obscene songs, impure words. 

The priest anoints in like manner the nose, mouth, hands, and feet 
of the sick person, in order to implore from God’s mercy the pardon 
of the sins committed by the abuse of these senses. In a word, the 
priest beseeches the Lord to purify all the organs of this Christian, to 
remit to this soul, which is very soon to quit its body of sin, all the 
debt contracted during its pilgrimage on earth. 

After that the priest redoubles his prayers for the welfare of the 
sick man. 

“Save thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in Thee.” (Ps. lxxxv, 2) 

Extreme Unction, then, is a sacrament that claims our love, our 
gratitude, our veneration, as does every help which our Lord in His 
mercy has prepared for us. 

III. DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT WORTHILY 

It should be received in a spirit of faith, of prayer, of repentance, and 
of resignation to the will of God. 

1. It is evident that, in order to receive the fruits of Extreme 
Unction, we must believe with a firm faith all the truths of our holy 
religion, and in particular, what our Holy Church teaches regarding 
this Sacrament. Thus the unbelievers and doubters of the world re¬ 
ceive the last helps of the dying in a useless and sacrilegious manner, 
purely as a matter of ceremony, and in deference to what they call 
vulgar prejudice. 

A sincere and lively faith will awaken in us confidence and hope. 
The Lord will say to each one by the mouth of the priest: 

“Be of good heart, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” (Matth. ix, 2) 

Perhaps He will add: 

“Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” (John v, 8) 

But whatever may be the sentence which He will pronounce, we may 
be sure that it will be favorable to us, and we shall say to Him: 

“In Thee, O Lord, I put my trust.” (Ps. x, 2) 

“Preserve me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in Thee. ... My 
flesh also shall rest in hope, because Thou wilt not leave my soul in 
hell; nor wilt Thou give Thy holy one to see corruption.” (Ps. xv, 1, 

9, 10) . . 

2. Prayer is a general disposition for all the sacraments, but it is a 
special disposition for Extreme Unction. The priest must pray over 
the sick man: “Let them pray over him.” It is right, then, that the 
prayers of the sick person should accompany those of the priest, as far 
as that is possible in the state of suffering and weakness to which he is 
reduced. 


512 


EXTREME UNCTION 


3. Extreme Unction, as the complement and supplement of Penance, 
is at the same time a sacrament of the living, and in a certain sense, 
of the dead. Under this twofold aspect it demands sorrow for sins 
committed. This is why the sick confess their sins before they are 
anointed. It is, therefore, necessary that those who receive this sacra¬ 
ment should have sorrow for their sins; because God pardons on this 
condition only. 

4. Resignation to the will of God. All men must die: “It is appointed 
unto men once to die.” (Heb. ix, 27). When, therefore, a dangerous 
sickness appears to announce to us the carrying out of this dread sen¬ 
tence, we must submit to it, make a virtue of necessity, offer with a will¬ 
ing heart the sacrifice of this life which God has given to us, and in His 
mercy preserved and prolonged. 


LX XXV 


HOLY ORDERS 

“Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor and hast set him over 
the works of Thy hands.” (Ps. viii, 6) 

To be mighty in word and in deed, to raise the dead to life, to banish 
the evil spirit, to convert sinners, to pardon sins, to point out to all the 
way of salvation,—such was the occupation of Jesus Christ on earth; 
and these are the glorious prerogatives that made David cry out in a 
spirit of prophecy: “Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor.” 

But if Christ possessed all these gifts by right and preference, 
priests, being His ministers and delegates, possess them by privilege 
and participation. It is, then, with justice, ministers of the Lord, that 
I address to you the words of my text, and say with David: “Thou 
hast crowned him with glory and honor,” etc. I. There is nothing 
grander, nothing more elevated in the world than the priesthood; con¬ 
sequently, there are none who deserve our respect more than those who 
are clothed with it. II. There is nothing in this world more beneficial 
than the priesthood; consequently, there are none more worthy of our 
love than those who discharge its functions. 

I. POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD 

There is nothing grander, nothing more elevated in the world than 
the priesthood. “Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor.” 

Whether God inflicts punishments or distributes rewards, His ways 
are always just and His decrees equitable. Those whom He punishes 
deserve punishment; those whom He raises up deserve to be honored; 
and the higher they are raised, the more honor they merit. But in 
Heaven or on earth there are none whom He has raised higher than 
priests; therefore, there are none more worthy of our respect. You 
will be convinced of this if you reflect on the twofold power which God 
has communicated to His priests, (i) over His real Body (power of 
orders), and (2) over His mystical body, that is, over the faithful 
(power of jurisdiction). 

1. Power over Christ’s real Body 

In the sacrifices of the Old Law the priest immolated only a victim 
different from himself; but in the Sacrifice of the New Law it is Jesus 

5 i 3 


5H 


HOLY ORDERS 


Christ Himself who offers and is offered: 'The same Priest and Vic¬ 
tim,” whence it follows that the Saviour of the world exercises over 
His Person an authority that belongs to Him, since one cannot sacrifice 
a victim without having a right over its blood and life. From this 
there follows another inference. It is that, having substituted priests 
in His place to continue the Sacrifice that was offered on the Cross, He 
has given them the same right over His adorable Person, has ordered 
them to use this divine right, and has appointed them to exercise it. 
"Do this for a commemoration of Me.” (Luke xxii, 19). Thus, al¬ 
though in the sacrifice the priest is only the substitute of Jesus Christ, 
it is certain that Christ submits Himself to him and renders to him 
every day on our altars the most prompt and exact obedience. 

If faith did not teach us these truths, could we persuade ourselves 
that man could ever attain to such an eminence, and be clothed with a 
character that places him in a position, if I may dare to say so, of 
commanding his Sovereign Lord, and making Him come down from 
Heaven? "God obeying the voice of man.” What an astounding 
miracle! 

"The priest is a stupendous miracle, an inexpressible power; he 
comes in contact with Heaven, dwells with the angels, and treats famil¬ 
iarly with God.” (S. Ephrem) 

"Truly venerable is the dignity of priests, in whose hands, as in the 
womb of His Mother, the Son of God becomes incarnate.” (S. Aug.) 

"At the sight of so great a privilege, Heaven is astounded, earth is 
amazed, man fears, hell shudders, the devil trembles, the angels adore.” 
(S. Aug.) 

"O mighty power! at whose will bread is changed into the Body of 
Christ; the Word descends from Heaven in the flesh, and is found on 
the table of the altar. That which has never been given to the angels, 
was freely bequeathed to those [priests]. The angels minister before 
the throne of God, priests hold Him in their hands, give Him to others, 
and receive Him themselves.” (S. Laur. Just.) 

"The God of Israel hath spared you from all the people, and joined 
you to Himself, to serve Him in the service of the tabernacle, and stand 
before the congregation of the people, and minister to Him. (Numb, 
xvi, 9) 

2. Power over His mystical body 

There is, then, nothing more sublime than the dignity of priests, 
nothing more worthy of respect than their character. I shall prove this 
fully by reminding you of the power which they possess over the 
mystical body of Christ, that is, over the faithful. 


POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD 


5 i 5 


It was not an empty word that Christ spoke to His Apostles: “What¬ 
soever you shall bind on earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven; and 
whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in Heaven.” 
(Matth. xvi, 19). By these words the Son of God subjects the whole 
Church to His priests in the person of His Apostle; He bestows on 
them a power that extends over all the members of His mystical body; 
there is not on this earth either prince or monarch who is exempt from 
that jurisdiction, as supreme as it is universal. 

A man of humble position is raised by pure liberality to the highest 
position: “Thus shall he be honored whom the king hath a mind to 
honor.” (Esther vi, 9). See him, the arbiter of all things. Such, and 
even greater, is the power over His body which God communicates to 
priests. Who can forgive sins but God alone? said the Pharisees. But 
the priest forgives them; he binds and unbinds; he not only declares the 
penitent absolved, but Himself absolves him. One can say to the priest 
as to Jesus Christ: “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”; and he 
can answer as Christ answered: “I will, be thou made clean”; and at 
his command the leprosy of sin vanishes. The priest raises his hand 
and says: “I absolve thee,” and at the sound of his voice all the walls 
of Jericho fall. What a miracle! The servant is appointed judge on 
earth, and the Master in Heaven ratifies the sentences pronounced by 
him. 

“God sanctions the sentence of pardon passed by the priest. Heaven 
is content with the judgment of earth.” (S. Chrys.) 

It is to priests that the Creator of the world entrusts His cause and 
His interests; He says to them even more emphatically than to the 
prophets of the Old Law: 

“Judge between Me and My vineyard.” (Is. v, 3) 

This man is a sinner, he has outraged Me; I could judge him My¬ 
self, but I hand Him over to you. The moment you pardon him, I 
pardon him. Cease then to exalt the power and grandeur of the mon- 
archs of this earth. 

“What power, I ask, can be greater than this ? The Father gave all 
power to the Son ; and on the other hand I see this same almighty power 
given by the Son to His priests.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The supremacy of priests is greater and more powerful than that of 
kings.” (S. Chrys.) 

“They that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all 
eternity.” (Dan. xii, 3) 

“The priest is constituted a mediator between God and man, God on 
one side, man on the other; he is less than God, but greater than man.” 
(Innoc. Ill) 


HOLY ORDERS 


5 i 6 

“The priest stands in the midst between God and human nature; 
bringing down from God the blessings that come to us, carrying up our 
prayers and appeasing the anger of God.” (S. Chrys.) 

“To those who dwell on earth is entrusted the power of dispensing 
the gifts of heaven, to them is given a power which the all-merciful God 
has never given to angels or archangels.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The priest is, as it were, the common father of all; it is right 
therefore that he should take care of and provide for all like God, 
whose place he holds.” (S. Chrys.) 

“We should show greater honor to priests than even to our own 
parents.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Priests are the vicars of Christ, and he who honors the priest of 
Christ honors Christ Himself.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The legate intercedes with God for the whole world.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The priesthood is the summit of all the good that is in mankind.” 
(S. Ignat. Mart.) 

After this shall we be surprised to see the greatest princes of the 
world show such profound respect for priests? (Examples: Constan¬ 
tine, the Empress Eudoxia, etc.) 

But what do we see in our own day ? Priests are despised and cen¬ 
sured. Their most pious acts are turned into ridicule, their smallest 
faults are maliciously magnified. Their character is the one that is 
least respected. Moreover, those who are guilty of these outrages are 
not idolaters and Jews, but Christians, for whom priests offer the Holy 
Sacrifice daily. 

“If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it; 
and if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would 
perhaps have hidden myself from him. But thou a man of one mind, 
my guide and my familiar.” (Ps. liv, 13, 14) 

“I respect his character,” some say; and with this precaution they 
think they have a right to say all kinds of evil things about him. But 
you deceive yourselves. God does not only command you to honor the 
priesthood in general; He wishes you to honor those who are invested 
with that dignity. Yes, it is for this particular priest, whatever faults 
he has, or is supposed to have, that He wishes you to have respect, 
since you cannot despise him without despising his character, which is 
inseparable from his person. I go farther. I say that in a sense you 
give more honor to God and to His Church in not despising a priest 
who renders himself contemptible than in respecting a priest whose vir¬ 
tues make him worthy of your esteem. When you honor a virtuous 
priest, you do so because of his personal merit; but when you honor a 
priest whose life is not exemplary, you pay respect to his sacerdotal 
character. 


BENEFIT OF THE PRIESTHOOD 


517 


“The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. 
All things, therefore, whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do; 
but according to their works do ye not; for they say and do not.” 
(Matth. xxiii, 2, 3) 

“I will give you pastors according to My own heart, and they shall 
feed you with knowledge and doctrine.” (Jer. iii, 15) 

“With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence His priests. With 
all thy strength love Him that made thee, and forsake not His ministers: 
Honor God with all thy soul, and give honor to the priests.” (Eccli. 
vii, 31-33) 

“Touch not My anointed, and do no evil to My prophets.” (1 
Paral. xvi, 22) 

“He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of My eye.” (Zach. ii, 8) 

“He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth 
me.” (Luke x, 16) 

“Worthy of praise is the life of him who holds the priests of Christ 
in veneration, and does not detract from the dignity of him by whom he 
has been made a Christian.” (S. Jerome) 

“God forbid that we should think evil of those who, succeeding to 
the position of the apostles, with their sacred word bring the Body of 
Christ down from Heaven.” (S. Jerome) 

“Consider not the merit of the persons, but the office of the priests.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Honor priests as fathers, as teachers, as benefactors, as the authors 
of your Christian life.” (S. Clem.) 

II. THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD MORE BENEFICIAL THAN 
THE PRIESTHOOD 

Of all the attributes of God there are none that captivate our hearts 
more surely, or that more justly deserve our love than His goodness 
and His mercy. But it is especially over the works of these two lov¬ 
able perfections that He has appointed priests as His ministers. If 
then we should love God because He is good and merciful, can we 
dispense ourselves from esteeming priests, who are the instruments of 
His goodness and mercy towards us? They fulfil this office chiefly, 
(1) by the exercise of their ministry and (2) by the efficacy of their 
prayers. 

1. By the exercise of their ministry. In the creation of the world 
God did not desire any other ministry than that of His Almighty power 
in forming man, but in the Redemption He associated to Himself 
chosen persons, and appointed them His co-operators in saving man¬ 
kind; these persons are His priests: “We are God’s coadjutors.” (1 
Cor. iii, 9) 


5i8 


HOLY ORDERS 


A priest, then, is God’s co-operator in the works of mercy by the 
exercise of his ministry, that is, by the administration of the Sacra¬ 
ments, by the preaching of the divine word, and by all that tends to the 
edification of others. But in this quality what advantage does he not 
procure for the world? If consciences are laid bare, and the secrets of 
hearts revealed to him, what tempests does he not calm? What dis¬ 
orders does he not check? What tears of sorrow, what holy desires, 
take the place of sinful designs? 

If we consider the priest announcing the word of God, what won¬ 
derful effects does he not produce ? How many consciences are moved! 
how many sinners confounded! how many just consoled! We have, it 
is true, only one Master among us, says S. Augustine, that is Jesus 
Christ, who is the Truth and the God of truth; but as He is no longer 
among us as He was among the Jews, instructing and teaching in per¬ 
son, He established in His place priests, on whom He bestows His spirit 
and His lights. 

“It is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh 
in you.” (Matth. x, 20) 

“Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the 
dispensers of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. iv, 1) 

“For Christ, therefore, we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting 
by us.” (2 Cor. v, 20) 

“Let the priests that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honor, 
especially they who labor in word and doctrine.” (1 Tim. v, 17) 

“Priests that rule well by their life and doctrine are esteemed worthy 
of double honor by their people, who obey them in spiritual matters 
and supply them with material goods.” (S. Aug.) 

2. By the efficacy of their prayers. A priest, says S. Gregory Nazi- 
anzen, is an all-powerful mediator, who has the right to approach God 
in order to place before Him the prayers and the necessities of the peo¬ 
ple, and who efficaciously implores His mercy. But, what fruit, what 
success are not such prayers capable of producing? Because the prayers 
of a priest are not as those of a private person who prays in his own 
name. A priest prays in the name of the Church and of all the faithful, 
of whom he is the minister, and, as it were, the ambassador. Can God re¬ 
fuse anything to his prayers? We are surprised to see striking conver¬ 
sions, astonishing success in affairs that were considered almost hopeless. 
We ask ourselves, how such things happen. If we went back to the 
source, we should find it most frequently in the prayers of a good priest. 
It is true, then, that priests are appointed over the works of mercy of 
the Lord, that they procure great advantages for the faithful, and that 
they are not less worthy of our love than of our respect. “Thou hast 
placed him over the works of Thy hands.” 


BENEFIT OF THE PRIESTHOOD 


5i9 


What would I not have to say here against the indifference and even 
the dislike which some have to-day for priests? But my duty recalls 
me to that which is the object of this solemnity. I return to you, my 
dear brother, and in saying to you that the Lord has crowned you 
with honor and glory and appointed you the minister of His mercies, 
permit me to say also that He has imposed on you a strict obligation 
and an indispensable duty, that of being holy yourself and of sanctify¬ 
ing others. 

“Be ye clean, you that carry the vessels of the Lord.” (Is. lii,. 11) 
“You are made a priest. You have not lightened your burden, but 
bound yourself to a life of stricter restraint, and to a greater perfec¬ 
tion of holiness.” ( Imit B. 4, c. 5) 

“He appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to 
remember His works, and to glorify and praise the Lord God of Is¬ 
rael.” (1 Paral. xvi, 4) 

“For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men 
in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices 
for sins.” (Hebr. v, 1) 

“Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch as be¬ 
ing to render an account of your souls.” (Hebr. xiii, 17) 

“If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if 
we reap your carnal things?” (1 Cor. ix, 11) 


Divisions 

I 

1. The ecclesiastical state supplies most advantages in the work of 
salvation, since in it are found more means, more helps, and more 
motives for sanctifying ourselves. 

2. It is the state in which we can render more glory to God and 
more service to our neighbor; but it is also that in which one gives more 
dishonor to God and His Church, and causes more evil to others, when 
one does not lead a holy life. 


II 


Qualities of a good pastor. 

1. He ought to possess knowledge, in order to instruct his flock and 
nourish them with sound doctrine. 

2. He ought to lead a holy and exemplary life, in order to edify his 
flock and be a model to them. 

3. He ought to have a burning charity, in order to procure the salva- 



520 HOLY ORDERS 

tion of his flock, and to use every means that will enable him to succeed 
in that object. 


III 

Dignity and grandeur of the priesthood. 

1. The honor which God wishes us to give to His ministers; 

2. The idea which the saints have had of the priesthood; 

3. The great powers which Christ has bestowed on His priests, all 
prove the dignity and the excellence of their state. 

IV 

The Christian priesthood. 

1. Examination of the advantages it holds out to humanity. 

2. Examination of the reproaches that are made to it. 

V 

Excellence of the functions of the sacred ministry . 

1. There is nothing nobler than these functions; 

2. There is nothing more meritorious; 

3. There is nothing more indispensable for a priest. 


LXXXVI 


MARRIAGE 

HOW ONE SHOULD PREPARE FOR IT 

“Jesus was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage.” (John ii, 2) 

Jesus was invited to a marriage feast in the town of Cana in Galilee. 
He was pleased to assist at it and to sanction the marriage by His 
presence. He raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament and made 
it a means of salvation for many. But to profit by this means they 
must enter the marriage state with good dispositions; they must invite 
Jesus Christ, by consulting His holy will; they must reflect seriously 
before contracting marriage. What, then, is necessary in order to en¬ 
ter into this state with pious dispositions? To enter piously into the 
marriage state, it is necessary: I. To be called to it; II. To have a 
virtuous intention in entering it; III. To render oneself worthy of 
the grace which Christ has attached to this Sacrament. 

I. CALL TO THE MARRIED STATE 

Although a vocation is necessary to any and every state in order to 
live piously in it, it is specially necessary to the marriage state, in order 
that married people may sanctify themselves; because the dangers of 
deceiving themselves in this state arise more frequently, mistakes made 
in it cause graver results, the burden of the state is weightier. S. Paul 
thus warns those who are about to enter the married state: 

“If thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned. And if a virgin marry, 
she hath not sinned: nevertheless such shall have tribulations of the 
flesh. But I spare you.” (1 Cor. vii, 28) 

Sorrows in the midst of worldly troubles—grief for a husband who 
has to bear with the faults of a wife—disappointments for a wife— 
anxiety to bring up children well—all this proves that it is necessary 
to be called to the married state in order to save one’s soul in it. But 
in order to know the will of God, it is necessary to pray a good deal, 
to do good works, to take the advice of a prudent director, to consult 
one’s parents. If, as we suppose, the parents are pious people and 
do not allow themselves to be influenced by passion and selfishness, it 
is through them that God will make known His will. They know 
best, as a rule, what suits their children. 

521 


522 


MARRIAGE 


Parents must not, however, abuse their authority in order to make 
their children marry those who are not suitable for them, and with 
whom they would have much difficulty in saving their souls. 

In the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca we see a model for all others. 
Isaac consulted Abraham, his father, who showed great prudence on 
the occasion. In this matter Eliezer displayed great fidelity, Isaac 
showed great confidence in God, and Rebecca a profound respect. 
The parents of the young woman did not decide anything without her 
consent. 

“Let us call the maid and ask her will.” (Gen. xxiv, 57) 

Finally, they all took care to consult, not passion or interest, but 
God. 

“Let her marry to whom she will, only in the Lord.” (1 Cor. vii, 

39) 

“Houses and riches are given by parents; but a prudent wife is 
properly from the Lord.” (Prov. xix, 14) 

“A good wife is a good portion; she shall be given in the portion 
of them that fear God, to a man for his good deeds.” (Eccli. xxvi, 3) 

“It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like 

unto himself.” (Gen. ii, 18) 

“The grace of a diligent woman shall delight her husband. . . . Her 
discipline is the gift of God. Such is a wise and silent woman, 

and there is nothing so much worth as a well instructed soul. A 

holy and shame-faced woman is grace upon grace.” (Eccli. xxvi, 
1&-19) 

“He that giveth his virgin in marriage doth well; and he that giveth 
her not, doth better.” (1 Cor. vii, 38) 

“He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to 
the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is so¬ 
licitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and 
he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin thinketh 
on the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in 
spirit. But she that is married thinketh on the things of the world, 
how she may please her husband.” (1 Cor. vii, 32-34) 

“Other things being equal, who hesitates to prefer the continent man 
to him who is married?” (S. Aug.) 

“A good wife is justly praised, but a pious virgin is more esteemed.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Although marriage is good, yet there are many evils that spring 
from worldly anxiety regarding it.” (S. Greg.) 

“He who condemns marriage gives loose rein to all uncleanness.” 
(S. Bern.) 


HOW TO PREPARE FOR IT 


523 


II. A VIRTUOUS INTENTION IN ENTERING IT 

To enter the married state with a view of giving glory to God, of 
saving one’s soul, of assisting each other in the great work of salva¬ 
tion, and of bringing up the children God may be pleased to give, to 
be His adorers and the heirs of His kingdom—this is the first ob¬ 
ject one should have in view on entering the married state,—to form 
a holy society with the person whom one marries, in order to assist 
each other in the necessities of life, and especially in the things that 
concern the salvation of the soul. The second object is to have chil¬ 
dren and to bring them up in a Christian manner. A third motive 
that may lead people to marry is to seek a remedy against the evils 
of concupiscence. 

“If they do not contain themselves, let them marry. For it is bet¬ 
ter to marry than to burn.” (1 Cor. vii, 9) 

“It is good for a man not to touch a woman; but for fear of forni¬ 
cation, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her 
own husband.” (1 Cor. vii, 1, 2) 

“A woman shall be saved through child-bearing; if she continue in 
faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.” (1 Tim. ii, 19) 

“They who in such manner receive matrimony, as to shut out God 
from themselves, and from their mind, and to give themselves to their 
lust, as the horse and mule, which have not understanding, over them 
the devil hath power.” (Tob. vi, 17) 

“Thou shalt take the virgin with the fear of the Lord, moved rather 
for love of children than for lust, that in the seed of Abraham thou 
mayest obtain a blessing in children.” (Tob. vi, 22) 

“We are the children of saints [Tobias said to Sara], and we must 
not be joined together like heathens that know not God. So they 
both arose and prayed earnestly both together, that health might be 
given them. And Tobias said: Lord God . . . Thou knowest that 
not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love 
of posterity, in which Thy name may be blessed for ever and 
ever. Sara also said: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy 
on us, and let us grow old both together in health.” (Tob. viii, 
5-10) 

But are these the objects people have in view when getting mar¬ 
ried? Alas! the greater number have no other guide than a blind 
passion of selfishness, ambition, or impurity. That being so, should 
we be astonished at seeing so many divisions and quarrels in families, 
so many unhappy marriages? 

“You have cause for believing that no marriage of this kind is ever 


524 MARRIAGE 

happy: it is brought about by evil, it is condemned by the Lord/’ 
(Tert.) 

“Many careless people contract marriage, but very few who are vigi¬ 
lant do so; they are vigilant in receiving the dowry, they are careless 
in considering the wife.” (S. Basil) 

“Why do you look for a wife with a beautiful face rather than vir¬ 
tue? Let a wife be pleasing for her virtue rather than her beauty; 
choose her who imitates the virtues of Sara.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Learn to know what should be sought for in a wife. Abraham did 
not seek for gold, nor silver, nor possessions, but for the grace of a 
good heart.” (S. Ambr.) 

“To support a poor wife is not difficult, but to endure a rich one 
is torture.” (S. Jerome.) 

III. HOW TO RENDER ONESELF WORTHY OF THE GRACE 
WHICH CHRIST HAS ATTACHED TO THIS 
SACRAMENT 

“Do you seek an undefiled wife? be undefiled; do you seek a pure 
wife? be not impure.” (S. Aug.) 

“If you are about to marry, do you wish to find your wives such as 
they find you? Who would wish to marry an unchaste woman?” 
(S. Aug. ) 

“A good wife is given to a man for his good deeds.” (Eccli. 
xxvi, 3) 

If you live in debauchery, you will find a wife debauched like your¬ 
self. You must then lead a virtuous life if you wish to deserve an 
irreproachable companion. Do not believe, licentious youth, that God 
will pour down His blessing on marriages which have been preceded by 
sin and crime, by shameful liberties, by dissolute lives. Do not believe, 
worldly-minded women, that you will be happy in those marriages 
which you purchase at the price of your souls, by a criminal love for 
libertines who make you such fine promises. This is not the way to 
prepare for receiving the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony. 

Young people must visit each other often, no doubt, in order to 
know each other; but let the visits be short, let them be in the presence 
of relatives, and made with a view to approaching marriage. Long 
visits that have no other object than sinful pleasure, should be avoided. 

“He that loveth danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“He that hath found a good wife, hath found a good thing, and 
shall receive a pleasure from the Lord. He that driveth away a good 
wife, driveth away a good thing, but he that keepeth an adulteress is 
foolish and wicked.” (Prov. xviii, 22) 

“A diligent woman is a crown to her husband.” (Prov. xii, 4) 


HOW TO PREPARE FOR IT 


525 


“Happy is the husband of a good wife.” (Eccli. xxvi, 1) 

“Let not men please you because they are rich, distinguished, of 
noble family, of good appearance; but because they are faithful, pious, 
modest, and good.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is not the beauty of a woman that delights her husband so much 
as her virtue and dignity.” (S. Ambr.) 

“ ‘With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the perverse thou wilt be 
perverted.’ (Ps. xvii, 26) If this happens in other states, how much 
more will it happen in the married state, where there is one flesh and 
one spirit?” (S. Ambr.) 

“As man is considered more skilful in public duties, so is woman 
in domestic affairs.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Who shall find a valiant woman? . . . The heart of her husband 
trusteth in her . . . She will render him good and not evil all the 
days of her life . . . She hath put out her hand to strong things, and 
her fingers have taken hold of the spindle. She hath opened her hand 
to the needy and stretched out her hands to the poor . . . She hath 
looked well to the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread 
idle. Her children rose up, and called her blessed; her husband, and 
he praised her.” (Prov. xxxi, 10 ff.) 


LXXXVII 


MARRIAGE 

HOW TO LIVE IN THE MARRIED STATE 

“I, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the vocation 
in which you are called.” (Eph. iv, i) 

The good order of society depends on the fidelity with which each 
one fulfils the duties of his state of life. Are you engaged in the 
married state, apply yourself to perform faithfully the duties of the 
state you have chosen. What are the duties of married people? They 
can be reduced to three: I. Mutual love; II. Mutual fidelity; III. 
Mutual and charitable forbearance. 


I. MUTUAL LOVE 

As there are different states in life, so there are different graces to 
sanctify those in each state. What do married people require in order 
that they may save their souls? A spirit of love and union. This is 
what S. Paul specially recommends to them: 

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and 
delivered Himself up for it.” (Eph. v, 25) 

“Understand the measure of love.” (S. Chrys.) 

Christian spouses, behold the model which you should imitate: you 
should love each other with a holy, chaste, and lasting love. 

1. With a holy love, for God’s sake, to help each other to practise 
virtues and good works, together to pray to God, to edify and sustain 
each other in the practice of what is good and in the fulfilment of 
duties. 

2. Married people should love each other zvith a chaste love, ob¬ 
serving the rules of conjugal chastity. 

“Marriage honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. For fornicators 
and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebr. xiii, 4) 

“This is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain 
from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess 

5^6 


MUTUAL LOVE 


527 

his vessel in sanctification and honor; not in the passion of lust like 
the gentiles that know not God ... For God hath not called us unto 
uncleanness, but unto sanctification.” (1 Thess. iv, 3-7) 

3. I hey should love each other with a constant and persevering love, 
which should keep them always united, and prevent them giving way 
to inconstancy and jealousy, the consequences of which are so danger¬ 
ous, and which the devil, who is the spirit of discord, sometimes in¬ 
spires in order to cause divisions between married people. It is a spirit 
of union and peace which the priest asks for them when he blesses 
the ring. Nothing should be able to break this union, neither change 
of fortune nor any other vexatious event. But do married people love 
each other in this way ? Do they love each other with a constant, 
unchanging love? 

“A man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, 
and they two shall be in one flesh.” (Matth. xix, 5) 

The husband, then, should not love his wife for her beauty, her for¬ 
tune, or other temporal advantages she may possess; he should love 
her for herself alone: “He shall cleave to his wife.” If either hus¬ 
band or wife becomes old or infirm, the other should have compassion 
on and comfort him or her. 

“The husband must not be angry with her, but condole with her, 
assist her, and pray to God for her.” (S. Chrys.) 

“When one prayeth and another curseth, whose voice will God 
hear?” (Eccli. xxxiv, 29) 

“Rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep. Let 
love be without dissimulation.” (Rom. xii, 9) 

“Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou hast gotten in 
the fear of the Lord.” (Eccli. vii, 21) 

“Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter towards them.” 
(Coloss, iii, 19) 

“If a wife loves her husband, not because he is chaste, but because 
he is rich, she really loves her husband’s wealth, not himself. If 
she really loves her husband, she loves him even though he is poor 
and destitute.” (S. Aug.) 

“God made Eve neither the superior nor the servant, but the com¬ 
panion of Adam; nor was she taken from the head or the feet of 
Adam, but from his side, that he might know he was to give her a 
place by his side, as he learned that she was taken from his side.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“When concord, and peace, and the bond of love exist between 
husband and wife, all other good things come to them at the same 
time.” (S. Greg.) 


528 


MARRIAGE 


II. FIDELITY (i) IN THE USE OF GOODS, (2) IN THE USE OF 
MATRIMONY, (3) IN PRESERVING THE SANCTITY OF 
THE MARRIAGE STATE 

1. In the use of goods. Married people should work together, and 
according to the will of God, to support the burdens of the married 
life; because if one pulls down what the other builds up, how shall 
they establish their house? Therefore there should be neither two 
purses nor two wills. Wives who waste money in vain ornaments sin 
against this duty, as also do husbands who squander their money in 
drink. 

“When one buildeth up and the other pulleth down, what profit will 
they have but the labor?” (Eccli. xxxiv, 28) 

2. Fidelity in the use of marriage. It is not permitted to refuse 
the marriage debt through hatred, or revenge, or without a reason¬ 
able cause. 

“Let the husband render the debt to his wife, and the wife in like 
manner to the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, 
but the husband. And in like manner the husband also hath not power 
of his own body, but the wife. Defraud not one another, except peiv 
haps by consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; 
and return together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency.” 
(1 Cor. vii, 3-5) 

“It is easier for many to abstain altogether from the use of mar¬ 
riage, than to use it reasonably and moderately.” (S. Aug.) 

“If chastity is observed in the marriage state, condemnation is not 
to be feared.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Finally, conjugal fidelity obliges married people to respect the 
sanctity of marriage. 

Never do anything against the natural use of marriage through fear 
of having too many children. 

Do not hold scandalous intercourse or unguarded conversations with 
strangers, nor be desirous of pleasing others. Do not commit the infa¬ 
mous crime of adultery. If Christ condemns sinful looks, how will He 
treat the fornicator and the adulterer? 

“The Lord slew him [Onan] because he did a detestable thing.” 
(Gen. xxxviii, 10) 

“Every one hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife.” 
(Ezech. xxii, 11) 

“If any man commit adultery . . . and defile his neighbor’s wife, 
let them be put to death, both the adulterer and the adulteress.” 
(Levit. xx, 10) 


MUTUAL FORBEARANCE 


529 


“Every one that putteth away his wife and marrieth another com- 
mitteth adultery; and he that marrieth her that is put away from her 
husband committeth adultery.” (Luke xvi, 18) 

“What, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” 
(Matth. xix, 6) 

“The woman that hath an husband, while her husband liveth is 
bound to the law; but if her husband be dead, she is loosed from the 
law of her husband.” (Rom. vii, 2) 

“Art thou bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed 
from a wife? seek not a wife.” (1 Cor. vii, 27) 

“To them that are married, not I, but the Lord commandeth that 
the wife depart not from her husband; and if she depart, that she 
remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And let not the 
husband put away his wife.” {Ibid., x, 11) 

“In marriage the sanctity of the Sacrament is to be valued more 
than the fruit of the womb.” (S. Aug.) 

“How can it be called a union where there is not harmony of faith?” 
(S. Ambr.) 

III. THE DUTY OF MUTUAL AND CHARITABLE 
FORBEARANCE 


It is certain that there is no one in the world free from faults; 
each one has his. It must not be imagined that those who enter the 
married state will find their partners perfect. In marrying a hus¬ 
band or a wife one espouses at the same time his or her faults and 
imperfections, and undertakes to bear with them. Whence arise so 
much disturbance in families, so many quarrels, so much discord, 
bad treatment, etc.? From a want of mutual helpfulness. 

“Bear ye one another’s burdens.” (Gal. vi, 2) 

“Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord; because 
the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the 
Church.” (Eph. v, 22, 23) 

“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that 
loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, 
but nourisheth and cherisheth it . . . And let the wife fear her hus¬ 
band.” (Eph. v, 28, 29, 33) 

“She [St. Monica] learned not to oppose an angry husband, not in 
deed alone, but not even in word.” (S. Aug.) 

“The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing, wife; and 
the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband.” (1 Cor. 


vii, 14) 

“Let wives be subject to 


their husbands, that if any believe not the 


530 


MARRIAGE 


word, they may be won without the word, by the conversation of the 
wives.” (i Pet. iii, i) 

“There is nothing more powerful than a good woman to instruct 
and mould a man.” (S. Greg.) 

“It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and 
passionate woman.” (Prov. xxi, 19) 

“Blessed is he that dwelleth with a wise woman.” ( Eccli. xxv, 11) 

“There is no head worse than the head of a serpent; and there is no 
anger above the anger of a woman. It will be more agreeable to abide 
with a lion and a dragon, than to dwell with a wicked woman.” 
(Eccli. xxv, 22, 23) 

“With three things my spirit is pleased, which are approved before 
God and men: the concord of brethren, and the love of neighbors, and 
man and wife that agree well together.” (Eccli. xxv, 1, 2) 

“For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. For 
the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man.” 
(1 Cor. xi, 8, 9) 

“This is a great Sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the 
Church.” (Eph. v, 32) 

“You have chosen a wife, not a servant; God willed that you should 
be the guide, not the ruler of the weaker sex. Respect her devoted 
attachment; give her love for love.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The true riches, the most precious goods, are gained when hus¬ 
band and wife live in harmony.” (S. Greg.) 

“They were both just before God, walking in all the commandments 
and justifications of the Lord without blame.” (Luke i, 6) 

“This, therefore, I say, brethren: the time is short; it remaineth 
that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; . . . and they 
that buy as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, 
as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away.” 
(1 Cor. vii, 29-31) 


Divisions 

I 

Necessity of grace and of a vocation in order to sanctify oneself in 
the married state 

1. Married people have to fulfil duties and obligations that bind in 
conscience; but they cannot satisfy these obligations without grace and 
a vocation. 

2. They have to bear great trials; but without grace and a vocation 
these trials cannot be borne. 



MUTUAL FORBEARANCE 


531 


3. There are very great dangers to salvation which they must avoid; 
but with grace and a vocation they will not persevere in avoiding them. 

II 

Marriage must be considered, (1) as a sacrament, (2) as a bond 
of partnership, and (3) with regard to the education of children. 

1. As a sacrament 

It should be received with an upright intention and in a state of 
grace. But, alas! how many Christians seem to be ignorant of this 
truth. 

2. As a bond of indissoluble partnership 

It demands a respectful, faithful, kind, and forbearing love. But 
through a deplorable subversion, this partnership is every day exposed 
to rupture. 

3. With regard to the education of children 

They must be nourished and provided for; they must above all 
things be instructed and brought up in a Christian manner. But what 
idea do many people form to themselves of these duties? How do 
they fulfil them? 


LXXXVIII 


MORTAL SIN 

“We that are dead to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?" 

(Rom. vi, 2) 

To-day I am going to declare war against sin, notwithstanding the 
empire which it has over man. I must attack this enemy of God’s 
glory and man’s happiness. I. Sin is the enemy of God, because of 
the injury which it does to Him; II. Sin is the enemy of man, because 
of the great evils it draws down on him who commits it. 

I. SIN IS THE ENEMY OF GOD 

What is sin? Sin is an act of disobedience to the law of God. 

‘‘Disobedience to heavenly commands.” (S. Ambr.) 

“A word, an act, a desire contrary to the eternal law.” (S. Aug.) 

“A turning away from the unchangeable Good and a turning to 
creatures.” (S. Thos.) 

The sinner becomes guilty towards God, (1) of the most daring 
rebellion, (2) of the most outrageous contempt, (3) of the blackest 
ingratitude. 


1. The most daring rebellion 

The natural order requires the servant to be subject to his master, 
the creature to his Creator. 

“It is just to be subject to God.” (2 Mach, ix, 12) 

But, alas! obedience is given to masters on earth, and it is refused 
to God, the great Master of all. 

“O man, who art thou that repliest against God?” (Rom. ix, 20) 
“Thou dust and ashes . . . Thou hast broken My yoke, thou hast 
burst My bonds, and thou saidst: I will not serve.” (Jer. ii, 20) 
Sinners offend God in His presence, they resist Him to His face. 
“In Him we live, and move, and are.” (Acts xvii, 28) 

In a certain sense they dare to use His power and His help in of¬ 
fending Him. 

“Thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins.” (Is. xliii, 24) 

Is it possible to imagine a more daring rebellion? 

532 


THE ENEMY OF GOD 533 

“Take heed thou never consent to sin, nor transgress the command¬ 
ments of the Lord, our God.” (Tob. iv, 6) 

“The sinner is an armed and rebellious nothing.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Sin is an injury to the Divinity.” (Salvian) 

“It is a cruel and detestable malice that desires to destroy the power, 
the justice, and the wisdom of God.” (S. Bern.) 

2. The most outrageous contempt 

God deserves that we should prefer Him to all else, because of the 
excellence of His Being, because of His infinite perfections, and be¬ 
cause He alone can make us truly happy. 

But what does man do in committing sin? Being unable to serve 
two masters, God and his passions, he renounces God in order to satisfy 
his passions. 

Is there any contempt more outrageous? 

“Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and ye gates thereof be very 
desolate, saith the Lord. For My people have done two evils. They 
have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to 
themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jer. 

i2 > 13) . J . 

Yes, miser, your god is your money; impure man, your god is the 
object of your passion; proud, sensual men, . . . 

“Whose god is their belly.” (Phil, iii, 19) 

“He that committeth sin, is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from 
the beginning.” (1 John iii, 8) 

“They violated Me among My people for a handful of barley and 
a piece of bread.” (Ezech. xiii, 19) 

“We have as many gods as we have vices and sins. (S. Jerome) 

To forget the benefits one has received from others is what men 
find it difficult to forgive. To return evil for good displeases them 
still more. But to use the benefits one has received in order to insult 
one’s benefactor is the very acme of ingratitude. Such are, never¬ 
theless, the degrees of ingratitude of the sinner towards God. 

Gifts which God has bestowed on us ... in the order of nature 
and of grace . . . Evils from which He has delivered us. . . . 

What is our gratitude for so many benefits? . 

“Remember the days of old . . . He found him [thee] in a desert 
land, in a place of horror and of vast wilderness; He led him about 
and taught him; and He kept him as the apple of His eye. . . . He 
spread His wings and hath taken him and carried him on His shoul¬ 
ders ... He set him upon high land, that he might eat the fruits of 
the fields, that he might suck honey out of the rock. [God did these 
things to thee]. Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish 


534 


MORTAL SIN 


and senseless people? Is He not thy Father, that hath possessed thee, 
and made thee, and created thee? [Alas!] The beloved grew fat, 
and kicked; ... he forsook God who made him . . . They sacrificed 
to devils and not to God, to gods whom they knew not . . . Thou hast 
forsaken the God that begot thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that 
created thee.” (Deut. xxxii, 7 fL) 

“I have brought up children and exalted them; but they have de¬ 
spised Me. The ox knoweth his owner . . . but Israel hath not 
known Me.” (Is. i, 2, 3) 

Is there a blacker or more revolting ingratitude? 

Sinners, do you understand the outrage which sin inflicts on God? 

. . . Ah! cast your eyes for a moment on Jesus Christ nailed to the 
Cross. 

'This is all the fruit, that the sin thereof should be taken away.” 
(Is. xxvii, 9) 

“He gave Himself up for us, that He might redeem us from all 
iniquity.” (Tit. ii, 14) 

“Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making Him 
a mockery.” (Hebr. vi, 6) 

“O man, recognize how grave are the wounds for which, according 
to the decree of Divine Providence, it was necessary that Jesus Christ 
should be wounded.” (S. Bern.) 

“Why have you attached Me to the more painful cross of your 
sins? [says Christ]. The cross of sins, on which I hang against My 
will, is more painful to Me than that which I ascended, moved by pity 
for men.” (S. Bern.) 

“The Jews who crucified Christ on this earth, were less guilty than 
those who offend Him now when He is seated on His throne in 
Heaven.” (S. Denis.) 

II. SIN IS THE ENEMY OF MAN 

I. The sinner repudiates God in order to attach himself to a crea¬ 
ture; God, on His part, turns away from the sinner because of the 
hatred He has for sin. 2. The sinner makes a bad use of creatures to 
offend God; God makes use of creatures to punish sinners in a sensible 
manner. 


1. God loves the works of His hands 
“Thou hatest none of the things which Thou hast made.” (Wis. 
xi, 25 ) 

But sin is not His work. On the contrary, it is a revolt against 
His infinite Majesty. He cannot then love sin, nor suffer it to go 
unpunished, 


THE ENEMY OF MAN 


535 

“To God the wicked and his wickedness are hateful alike.” (Wis. 
xiv, 9) 

“Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity.” (Ps. v, 7) 

“Your iniquities have divided between you and your God.” (Is. 
lix, 2) 

“Because sentence is not speedily pronounced against evil, the chil¬ 
dren of men commit evils without any fear.” (Eccli. viii, 11) 

To be the object of God’s hatred! ... To have an all-powerful 
enemy! . . . Does not this thought make you tremble? 

Perhaps you say: 

“I have sinned, and what harm hath befallen me?” (Eccli. v, 4) 
But is it nothing to lose the grace of God? And then, 

“Wait a little . . . They shall walk in vain, and shall perish.” (Job 
vi, 19, 18) 

Happy is the soul that is united to God by grace! 

“I will espouse thee to Me in justice.” (Os. ii, 19) 

“Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.” 
(Cant, iv, 7) 

The sinner loses sanctifying grace. God rejects him: 

“You are not My people.” (Os. i, 10) 

“From the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed.” (Lament, 
i, 6) 

“How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed.” (La¬ 
ment. iv, 1) 

A state of spiritual death, the most deplorable of all states: 

“The body dies when the soul leaves it; so the soul dies when God 
leaves it.” (S. Aug.) 

“They that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.” 
(Tob. xii, 10) 

Sin destroys or suspends the merit of all past good works. 

“If the just man turn himself away from his justice ... all his 
justices shall not be remembered.” (Ezech. xviii, 24) 

“The justice of the just shall not deliver him, in what day soever 
he shall sin.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 12) 

God rejects as unworthy of reward all the good works done in a 
state of sin. 

“If I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should 
deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me 
nothing ... I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” 

(1 Cor. xiii, 3, 1) , , 

“Thou hast the name of being alive, and thou art dead, . . . ana 
thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and 
blind, and naked.” (Apoc. iii, 1, 17) 


536 


MORTAL SIN 


“What he hath cast is a lie, and there is no breath in them.” (Jer. 

K, 1 7) 

“Their works are unprofitable works.” (Is. lix, 6) 

“We have labored all the night, and have taken nothing.” (Luke 

v, 5) 

“Salvation is far from sinners, because they have not sought Thy 
justifications.” (Ps. cxviii, 155) 

“Error and darkness are created with sinners; and they that glory 
in evil things, grow old in evil.” (Eccli. xi, 16) 

“How exceeding base art thou become, going the same ways over 
again.” (Jer. ii, 36) 

“Examine the sinner’s conscience; does it not give forth a fouler 
stench than any sepulchre? (S. Ambr.) 

“W T hat hail is to fruit, storms to trees, pestilence to cattle, and a 
raging tempest to ships, mortal sin is to Christians. It destroys all 
the fruit and merit of their good works, corrupts the powers of the 
soul, and leads the whole man to ruin.” (S. Cypr.) 

2. In revolting against God the sinner makes a bad use of 
creatures 

God, in His turn, causes creatures to rise up against the sinner; 
He uses them as so many instruments of His vengeance: 

“By what things a man sinneth, by the same also he is tormented.” 
(Wis. xi, 17) 

The bad angels sinned, and they were hurled into everlasting flames. 
The first man sinned, and the earth became sterile. If we look 
through the different ages of the world, what fearful spectacles pre¬ 
sent themselves to our eyes! The deluge, the destruction of Sodom 
and Gomorrha, the Israelites so often in rebellion and so fearfully 
punished. 

“The Lord saw and was moved to wrath ... I will hide My Face 
from them, and will consider what their last end shall be ... I will 
heap evils upon them, and will spend My arrows among them . . . 
Without, the sword shall lay them waste, and terror within, both the 
young man and the virgin, the sucking child with the man in years.” 
(Deut. xxxii, 19-25) 

Do not we ourselves feel the effects of these threats every day, in 
the misfortunes that befall us? Happy are we, however, if we feel 
the scourge of God’s justice in this life only! 

“A fire is kindled in My wrath and shall burn even to the lowest 
hell . . . Their wine is the gall of dragons, and the venom of asps, 
which is incurable.” (Deut. xxxii, 22, 33) 


THE ENEMY OF MAN 537 

“He shall rain snares upon sinners: fire and brimstone and storm 
of winds shall be the portion of their cup.” (Ps. x, 7) 

“His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast bound with the 
ropes of his own sins.” (Prov. v, 22) 

“Woe to you, ungodly men, who have forsaken the law of the Most 
High Lord, ... in malediction shall be your portion.” (Eccli xli, 

n, 12) 

“The Lord will remember their iniquities, and visit their sins.” 
(Jer. xiv, 10) 

“The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. vi, 23) 

“Miserable man, you are ruining your soul. You have begun to 
carry your destruction with you on your journey; and yet you do not 
weep, you do not lament.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, so as to obey the 
lusts thereof.” (Rom. vi, 12) 

“We that are dead to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?” 
(Ibid., 2) 

“Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent. . . . The teeth thereof 
are the teeth of a lion, killing the souls of men.” (Eccli. xxi, 2, 3) 
“Know thou, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for thee 
to have left the Lord thy God.” (Jer. ii, 19) 

“Woe to us, because we have sinned.” (Lament, v, 16) 
“Understand these things, you that forget God.” (Ps. xlix, 22) 
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Him [Jesus] you by the 
hands of wicked men have crucified and slain . . . Therefore let all 
the house of Israel know most certainly that God hath made both 
Lord and Christ, this same Jesus whom you have crucified. . . . What 
shall we do, men and brethren? . « . Do penance. (Acts ii, 22, 

23, 36-38) 


Divisions 

I 

1. The injury sin does to man: 

i°. It inflicts on him a fatal wound, by depriving him of the life 

of grace; . . . , , , , 

2°. It robs him of the holiness and the virtues which he had 

acquired; 

3 0 . It deprives his works of all merit. 

2. The injury sin does to Jesus Christ. 
i°. It has been the cause of His death; 



538 MORTAL SIN 

2°. It renews that death (as far as it can do so) every time it is 
committed; 

3°. This renewal of His death is accompanied by a greater outrage 
than that which he suffered on the Cross. 

II 

1. Hatred which God has for sin: that hatred appears, 

i°. From the chastisement which He inflicted on the rebel angels, 
and on our first parents, and from that which He still inflicts on 
sinners; 

2°. From the severity of the sufferings of His own divine Son; 

3°. From the dreadful punishment which He still inflicts on sin in 
hell. 

2. Hatred which we should have for sin. 

i°. We should not commit it even if in doing so we gained all that 
the world could give us; 

2°. Nor even to avoid death itself. 

III 

Effects of mortal sin: 

1. Blindness of the understanding, 

2. Hardness of heart, 

3. Trouble and disorder of the passions, leaving the sinner without 
peace. “There is no peace to the wicked.” (Is. lvii, 21) 

4. Final impenitence and reprobation. 


LXXXIX 


VENIAL SIN 

“Be ye perfect, as also your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matth. v, 
48) 

The belief that, in order to attain to perfect sanctity, it is sufficient 
to avoid the graver sins that exclude the soul from Heaven, without 
taking care to abstain from venial faults that delay its entry into that 
blessed kingdom, is a common error, which may have the saddest con¬ 
sequences, because, I. Venial sin is in him who commits it a proof of 
the little love he has for God; II. It is also a proof of the little zeal 
he has for his own salvation. 

I. IT IS A PROOF OF THE LITTLE LOVE THE SINNER HAS FOR GOD 

What is venial sin? 

It is an offence against God in a light matter, or in a grave matter 
without full consent. 

There are two kinds of venial sins; some are sins of pure weakness: 

“In many things we all offend.” (Jas. iii, 2) 

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth 
is not in us.” (1 John i, 8) 

“There is no man who sinneth not.” (3 Kings viii, 46) 

Others are sins of malice, which are committed with deliberation and 
knowledge and which are a proof of what little love one has for God. 

“Beware that no one makes little of venial sin, no matter how small 
it may be, if it is committed deliberately and with full knowledge.” 
(S. Bern.) 

God is pleased to call Himself our Father and our Friend—two 
qualities which should attach us to Him in a special manner and cause 
us to avoid sin. 

1. God is our Father. Has there ever been a father more tender, 
more careful of us ? There is no father like Him. He has given 
us life. He preserves it. He bestows on us abundance of graces 
and favors. Is it not just that we should obey Him, not only in the 
greatest matters, but even in the very smallest? 

“He that feareth God, neglecteth nothing.” (Eccle. vii, 19) 

“The son honoreth the father, and the servant his master: if then 

539 


540 


VENIAL SIN 


I be a Father, where is My honor ? and if I be a Master, where is My 
fear?” (Malach. i, 6) 

What would you say of a child who would be content to obey his 
father in important matters, but would not fear to give him a thou¬ 
sand little annoyances? You fear to lose the friendship of God by 
mortal sin, because in doing so you would lose Heaven, but you care 
very little about displeasing Him in those things which, venial though 
they be, offend Him. You do not love Him then for Himself alone, 
but rather for your own advantage. You do Him an injury in pre¬ 
ferring the satisfaction of your passions to the perfect obedience which 
you owe to His laws, and in thereby depriving Him of the glory which 
your obedience would give to Him. Venial sin, however light it may 
be, is a wrong done to God, an evil which He cannot approve, which 
He is forced to hate, an evil therefore greater than all earthly evils. 
Ah! can you regard as trifles those acts of infidelity in the fulfilment 
of your lighter duties, those distractions . . . those deceits . . . those 
lies? 

“Who can understand sins? From my secret ones cleanse me.” 
(Ps. xviii, 13) 

“He who obeys God as a son and not as a slave, fears to offend 
Him in even the smallest thing.” (S. Basil) 

“Call not light those things by which Christ is offended, by which 
you are delivered up to the judgment of God; is it not a grave loss, 
even though you do not perish, to come to port with an empty ship?” 
(S. Aug.) 

“I know not whether we can call light any sin that is committed in 
contempt of God. He is the most prudent who considers not so much 
what is commanded as Him who commands.” (S. Paulin.) 

2. God is the best of all friends; there is no friend so generous, so 
faithful as He. 

“God first hath loved us.” (1 John v, 19) 

“When as yet we were sinners.” (Rom. v, 8) 

“I will not now call you servants, . . . but I have called you 
friends.” (John xv, 15) 

But what are the laws of friendship? What do you require of a 
friend to whom you are sincerely attached? What would you say if 
he restricted his friendship to the discharge of essential duties, if he 
did not wish indeed, to break off the friendship by grossly offending 
you, but did not mind offending you by showing towards you slight 
tokens of contempt? Apply this to your own conduct towards God. 

“He loves You less, O Lord, who divides his love between You and 
something which he does not love for Your sake.” (S. Aug.) 


A PROOF OF LACK OF ZEAL 541 

Your light infidelities are in a certain sense more painful to the 
heart of God than the outrages of an open enemy. 

“I would thou wert cold or hot; but because thou art lukewarm, 
and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth.” 
(Apoc. iii, 15, 16) 

“If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. 
And if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would 
perhaps have hidden myself from him. But thou a man of one mind, 
my guide and my familiar, who didst take sweet meats together with 
me.” (Ps. liv, 13-15) 

“There is no sin so small but that it increases when neglected; for 
we must consider not what we do, but whom we offend, how good, 
how kind, how merciful He is.” (S. Aug.) 

To understand still better how much these faults displease God, al¬ 
though they are light when compared with mortal sin, represent to 
yourselves the terrible chastisement which He has inflicted on souls 
that were guilty of them. Moses, because of a slight want of con¬ 
fidence, was not allowed to enter the promised land. The Bethsamites 
were struck dead for having cast a look of curiosity on the Ark of 
the Covenant. An Israelite was punished with death for having 
gathered a little wood on the Sabbath. Consider the punishment of 
Purgatory. . . . 

“Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account 
for it in the day of judgment.” (Matth. xii, 36) 

“If any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, 
wood, hay, stubble, every man’s work shall be manifest; for the day of 
the Lord shall declare it because it shall be revealed in fire; and the 
fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. iii, 12, 13) 

“Every sin, whether great or small, must necessarily be punished, 
either by man repenting or by God avenging.” (S. Aug.) 

II. VENIAL SIN IS A PROOF OF THE LITTLE ZEAL WHICH 
HE WHO COMMITS IT HAS FOR HIS OWN SALVATION 

Venial sin does not kill the soul; but it lessens the fear of God and 
the horror of sin, and thus causes the soul to fall more easily into 
mortal sin. It is not a complete turning away from our last end, but 
it is a step that places us in danger of destruction. It must be under¬ 
stood that there is not question here of those in whom a sin, venial in 
its nature, becomes mortal because of some aggravating circumstance, 
as scandal, contempt, an intention gravely wicked, grave danger, error, 
injury, but of him who through tepidity, through indifference, com¬ 
mits venial sin without feeling any qualms of conscience. He must 


542 


VENIAL SIN 


be made to see that by his multiplied venial sins he disposes himself 
to fall into much greater crimes. 

“He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.” 
(Eccli. xix, i) 

“He that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that 
which is greater/’ (Luke xvi, io) 

But whence comes this fall from venial sin into that which is 
mortal ? 

i. From a just punishment of God; 2, from the bad dispositions of 
of man. 

1. God does not refuse to him who sins venially the graces neces¬ 
sary to avoid mortal sin, since He does not refuse such graces to 
even the greatest sinners. But if He gives the necessary graces, He 
is not obliged to give the graces of choice and predilection, which 
cause man to do good infallibly, although of His free will. But does 
he who commits venial sin act in such a way as to induce God to give 
him these special graces? 

What happens then? In the moment of temptation he yields and 
commits mortal sin. Have not those who commit venial sin so easily 
already had this sad experience? 

“How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my crimes 
and offences.” (Job xiii, 23) 

2. Evil inclination of man; an inclination which venial sin gives to 
the commission of mortal sin. 

“No one becomes very wicked all at once.” (S. Bern.) 

Before he commits great crimes, the sinner has, so to speak, to pre¬ 
pare himself to do so. He has too much horror of them to commit 
them at first of his own free will; but in committing voluntary venial 
sins, he insensibly loses fear of the graver sins. How did those peo¬ 
ple begin who are now guilty of the greatest and most degrading acts 
of injustice? 

“Behold how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth.” (Jas. 
iii, 5 ) 

“They begin with the smallest sins, and fall into the greatest.” (S. 
Bern.) 

Judas did not fall all at once into the crime of treason, of deicide. 

“How is the gold become dim, the finest color is changed?” (La¬ 
ment., iv, 1) 

By the facility with which you commit light faults. 

“If we are careless in correcting small faults, we shall be gradually 
led astray, and .shall boldly commit great sins.” (S. Greg.) 


A PROOF OF LACK OF ZEAL 


543 


“He who neglects to repent of and avoid the smallest sins will fall 
away entirely from the state of grace, not indeed all at once, but by 
degrees/’ (Id.) 

“Let us avoid the smaller sins, since the grave sins spring from 
them.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Just as those who are striving to become perfect begin not with 
great deeds, but with small acts, and gradually attain to higher things; 
so those who fall into vice do not begin all at once with committing 
great crimes, but, becoming accustomed to light sins, they are hurried 
into the greatest.” (S. Isid.) 

“My iniquities are gone over my head, and as a heavy burden are 
become heavy upon me.” (Ps. xxxvii, 5) 

“There shall not enter into it anything defiled.” (Apoc. xxi, 27) 

“Do not despise venial sins because they are small, but fear them 
because they are many. (S. Aug.) 

“The soul devoted to Christ is equally watchful in greater and in 
smaller matters, knowing that an account must be given for even an 
idle word.” (S. Jerome) 

“St. Paula of Rome wept so much for her venial sins that one would 
believe her guilty of the greatest crimes.” (Id.) 

“From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.” (1 Thess. v, 22) 

“Be instant in prayer, watching in it in thanksgiving.” (Coloss. 

iv > 2 ) . ... X 

“That you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Pet. 111, 9) 


Divisions 

I 

Everything in venial sin is to be feared, because 

1. A sin, however light it may appear and be, often leads to a 
greater one, and disposes the soul to commit mortal sin; 

2. It dishonors God; 

3. However light it may be, it must be expiated, and will be rigor¬ 
ously punished in the next life if it is not atoned for in this. 

II 

Precautions to be taken against venial sin: 

1. To place ourselves in the presence of God and beg of Him the 
gift of holy fear, which is the beginning of wisdom; 

2. To watch over all our actions, and often examine the state of 

our consciences; . 

3. To impose some penance on ourselves when we have committed 

voluntary venial sins, 



xc 


PRIDE 

“Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled/’ (Luke xviii, 14) 

There are seven capital sins: pride, covetousness, envy, anger, lust, 
gluttony, and sloth. I shall begin by speaking to you of that which 
is, as it were, the king of sins, the source of all the others, pride. 

“Pride is the beginning of all sin.” (Eccli. x, 15). Consider: I. 
How the proud man resists God; II. How God resists the proud man. 

I. HOW THE PROUD MAN RESISTS GOD 

What is pride? 

“Pride is the inordinate love of one’s own excellence.” (S. Thomas). 
To esteem oneself, to despise others, that is the mark of pride, such 
as it is presented to us in the Pharisee of the Gospel. 

“O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, ex¬ 
tortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.” (Luke 
xviii, 11) 

How many are proud! Do you wish to know how much pride is 
opposed to God? Judge of it by the following considerations: (1) 
This sin robs the Creator of the glory that is due to Him, in order to 
bestow it on a creature; (2) it destroys fraternal charity; (3) it is the 
source of innumerable other sins. 

1. Pride robs the Creator of the glory that is due to 'Him 

“To the only God be honor and glory.” (1 Tim. i, 17). Of him¬ 
self man has only nothingness and sin; all that he is, all that he has, 
he holds from the bounty of God. 

“What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast re¬ 
ceived, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 
Cor. iv, 7) 

The proud man imitates the insolence of the rebel angel. 

“I will be like the Most High.” (Is. xiv, 14) 

Idolatry arose from pride; and in this way pride has succeeded in 
robbing the Creator of the glory that is due to Him. 

“Why is earth and ashes proud?” (Eccli. x, 9) 

What is the source of this inordinate esteem which you have for 

544 


THE PROUD MAN RESISTS GOD 


545 


yourself? Is it nobility of birth? But that does not come from your¬ 
self. Is it the wealth you possess? Is it the qualities of body or of 
mind that make you proud? But does not all that come from God? 
The only thing that brings you honor is virtue. But what is your 
virtue? A Pharisaical, hypocritical virtue. You perform before men 
acts of virtue which you would not practise in private. 

“He shall be my Saviour; for no hypocrites shall come before His 
presence.” (Job xiii, 16) 

“Glory not in apparel at any time, and be not exalted in the day of 
thy honor.” (Eccli. xi, 4) 

“If any man thinketh himself to be something, whereas he is noth¬ 
ing, he deceiveth himself.” (Gal. vi, 3) 

“The pride of them that hate Thee ascendeth continually.” (Ps. 
lxxiii, 23) 

“He hath stretched out his hand, and hath strengthened himself 
against the Almighty. He hath run against Him with his neck raised 
up.” (Job xv, 25) 

“When all other vices fly from God, pride alone opposes Him.” 
(S. Thos.) 


2. It destroys fraternal charity 

Pride is not less opposed to charity. The man whom this vice dom¬ 
inates, has nothing but contempt for others. See the Pharisee: “I 
am not as this publican.” If he is forced to do justice to merit, he 
does all he can to tarnish the honor by malicious constructions. He 
is jealous of another’s rise. If he himself is raised above others, he 
despises them. Hence arrogance, disdain, haughty airs. Ah! how 
rarely is charity found among the proud! 

“Charity is kind, charity envieth not, is not puffed up, thinketh no 
evil,” etc. (1 Cor. xiii, 4) 

A proud man will not suffer anything. 

“Touch the mountains and they shall smoke.” (Ps. cxliii, 5) 
Hence those outbursts of passion and anger, and those quarrels. 

3. It is the source of innumerable other sins 
Why do not those who are at enmity become reconciled? Because 
pride holds them. 

“Among the proud there are always contentions.” (Prov. xiii, 10) 
Why do people go to law on account of real or imaginary injuries? 
Why are they unwilling to settle disputes ? Whence come the lies and 
calumnies if not from the desire to add to one’s own importance at 
the expense of one’s neighbor? Yes, pride brings in its train envy, 
injustice, anger, and revenge. “Pride is the beginning of all sin.” It 


PRIDE 


546 

darkens the understanding, it puffs up the heart and fills it with num¬ 
berless ambitious desires. It has been the fatal source of schisms 
and heresies. 

Pride is found in all states of life. No one wishes to be subject; 
every one desires to command. No one wishes to be warned of his 
faults and corrected. Some excuse their faults and go so far as to 
justify their crimes. 

“They are glad when they have done evil, and rejoice in most 
wicked things; whose ways are perverse, and their steps infamous.” 
(Prov. ii, 14, 15). 

“He that boasteth and puffeth up himself, stirreth up quarrels.” 
(Prov. xxviii, 25) 

“There is one that humbleth himself wickedly, and his interior is full 
of deceit.” (Eccli. xix, 23) 

“False humility is worse than pride.” (S. Aug.) 

“Humility makes men like to angels, and pride changes angels into 
devils; and as I shall clearly show, it is the beginning, the end, and the 
cause of all sins; because not only is pride a sin, but there has not been, 
there is not, and there will not be a sin without pride.” (Id.) 

“That pride which is concealed under certain signs of humility, is 
much more detestable. Indeed I know not how much more disgraceful 
are those vices that are masked under an appearance of virtue.” (S. 
Jerome) 


II. HOW GOD RESISTS THE PROUD MAN 

God is not less opposed to pride than pride is to God. It is a rule of 
divine justice to make the punishment proportionate to the malice of 
the sin that is to be punished. 

1. The proud man who robs God of the glory that is due to Him, 
is in his turn humiliated by God and overwhelmed with confusion. 
2. God permits the proud man who despises others, to become in his 
turn the object of the mockery and contempt of men. 3. Finally, pride 
is a poisoned source of innumerable sins, and this source by its con¬ 
tagion, destroys the merit of virtues. 

1. “God resists the proud” (Jas. iv, 6). Proof in the chastisement 
of the rebel angels. 

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer.” (Is. xiv, 12) 

It is through pride; it is pride that has kindled the everlasting flames. 

Absalom . . . Nabuchodonosar . . . Aman . . . Sennacherib . . . 
Antiochus . . . received dreadful chastisements in punishment of 
their pride. 

“Thou [Sennacherib] has been mad against Me, and thy pride hath 
come up to My ears. . . . And as he was worshipping his God, Ad- 


THE PROUD MAN RESISTS GOD 547 

ramaleck and Sarasar, his sons, slew him with the sword.” (4 Kings 
xix, 28, 37) 

“He [Antiochus] laid himself down upon his bed and fell sick for 
grief, because it had not fallen out to him as he imagined . . . and he 
died there” (1 Mach, vi, 8, 16) [because] “he proudly entered into 
the sanctuary . . . and broke them all to pieces.” (Ibid., i, 23) 
While the proud endeavor to raise themselves up and distinguish 
themselves, God abandons them and withdraws His graces from them. 
“God delivered them up to a reprobate sense.” (Rom. i, 28) 

“He that holdeth it [pride] shall be filled with malediction, and it 
shall ruin him in the end.” (Eccli. x, 15) 

“God hath abolished the memory of the proud.” (Eccli. x, 21) 
“Professing themselves to be wise they became fools.” (Rom. 1, 
22) 

“The house that is very rich shall be brought to nothing by pride; 
so the substance of the proud shall be rooted out.” (Eccli. xxi, 5) 

“I hate arrogance and pride.” (Prov. viii, 13) 

“Pride is hateful before God and men.” (Eccli. x, 7) 

“Presently after they shall be honored and exalted, they shall come 
to nothing and vanish like smoke.” (Ps. xxxvi, 20) 

“He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the 
humble.” (Luke i, 52) 

“These men . . . despise dominion. . . . Woe unto them, for they 
have gone in the way of Cain, . . . and have perished in the contradic¬ 
tion of Core.” (Jude 8, 11) 

“Pride is the clearest mark of the reprobate, as on the contrary, 
humility is of the elect.” (S. Greg.) 

2. The proud man who despises others becomes in turn the object of 
their contempt, either because of the vices into which his pride draws 
him, or of the pride itself which renders him insupportable. 

“Humiliation followeth the proud; and glory shall uphold the humble 
of spirit.” (Prov. xxix, 23) 

Should not this confusion be sufficient to cure of his pride him who 
is infected with this vice ? . . . But, no, a proud man will not acknowl¬ 
edge the passion that dveours him. Contempt and humiliation serve 
only to embitter his pride. 

“Whose glory is in their shame.” (Phil, iii, 19) 

“Where pride is, there also shall be reproach.” (Prov. xi, 2) 
“Thou wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.” (Ps. xvii, 28) 
“Thou hast humbled the proud one, as one that is slain.” (Ps. 
lxxxviii, 11) 

“I will bring down the arrogance of the mighty.” (Is. xiii, 11) 


548 


PRIDE 


“I will humble the great ones of the earth.” (Is. xlv, 2) 

“If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all.” (Mark 

ix, 34) 

3. Pride destroys all virtues. It is a burning wind, which dries up 
and consumes everything. The most heroic actions cease to have any 
merit the moment pride has a part in them. 

“They have received their reward [in vain glory].” (Matth. vi, 5) 

“Take what is thine and go thy way.” (Matth. xx, 14) 

What folly, what a misfortune, to work so hard for what is pure 
loss! Do not value the esteem of men; they praise you to-day, to¬ 
morrow they will blame you. Seek only the esteem and the approba¬ 
tion of God. 

“Not he who commendeth himself is approved, but he whom God 
commendeth.” (2 Cor. x, 18) 

“Never suffer pride to reign in thy mind, or in thy words.” (Tob. 
iv, 14) 

“God became humble, man should blush to be proud.” (S. Aug.) 

“A proud man is a great misery.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is intolerable conceit that, when Majesty humbleth Itself, the 
miserable worm should be puffed and swollen.” (S. Bern.) 

“He who gathers virtues without humility, carries dust as it were in 
the wind.” (S. Greg.) 

“What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting 
of riches brought us?” (Wis. v, 8) 

“Woe to you when men shall bless you.” (Luke vi, 26) 

“God hath scattered the bones of them that please men.” (Ps. 
lii, 6) 

“Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience.” (2 Cor. i, 12) 

“Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall 
find rest to your souls.” (Matth. xi, 29) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Pride renders our work vain, and deprives it of any heavenly 
reward; 

2. It changes virtues into vices; 

3. Even in this life it draws down punishment from God, who 
sometimes permits the proud man to fall into disgrace. 



THE PROUD MAN RESISTS GOD 


549 


II 

1. Pride is unjust, because that in which we take glory is not ours; 

2. It is injurious to God, because all glory belongs to Him; 

3. It is fatal to man, for it causes him to bear trials without profit, 
and often leads him to hell by deeds that conduct others to Heaven. 

III 

Tzvo considerations which we should oppose to pride: 

1. By the goodness and liberality of God I am what I am; without 
Him I should be nothing. 

2. Because of my malice and my sin I am less than nothing; I have 
placed myself below nothingness. 


XCI 


AVARICE 

“You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matth. vi, 24) 

If, in the state in which the rich ones of this world find themselves, 
they could with impunity divide their heart between God and riches, 
or if they could easily keep the just medium in which they should re¬ 
main in order to save their souls, perhaps they could without any fear 
set up great establishments in this world and heap up treasure upon 
treasure. But experience shows that the more wealth people have, the 
more attached they become to it. Le us see: I. What are the marks 
of avarice; II. The difficulty of correcting oneself of this vice. 


I. THE MARKS OF AVARICE 

Common illusion of sinners: at one time they believe a thing is not 
a sin when it really is; at another time they consider a fault to be light 
which is in itself very grave. This is how the avaricious deceive 
themselves. Even those who are most attached to worldly wealth 
believe they are least guilty before God. 

“Gold and silver hath destroyed many, and hath reached even to the 
heart of kings, and perverted them.” (Eccli. viii, 3) 

The really avaricious man can be recognized by the following marks: 
(1) he places his confidence in this world’s wealth; (2) he is eagerly 
intent on hoarding up riches; (3) losses afflict him grievously; (4) he 
does not spend money when required to do so by justice or charity. 

1. The avaricious man places his confidence in his riches instead of 
trusting in God 

“Behold the man that made not God his helper; but trusted in the 
abundance of his riches, and prevailed in his vanity.” (Ps. li, 9) 

Consider the portrait of the avaricious man, as traced by Jesus 
Christ Himself: 

“One of the multitude said to Him: Master, speak to my brother, 
that he divide the inheritance with me. . . . Jesus spoke a similitude 
to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty 
of fruits; and he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do 

55o 


MARKS OF AVARICE 


55i 

because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: 
This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater . . . 
And I will say to my soul—Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for 
many years; take thy rest, eat, drink, and make good cheer. But God 
said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee; 
and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he 
that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.” 
(Luke xii, 13-21) 

“Take heed [therefore] and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s 
life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.” 
{Ibid., 15) 

“Charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded nor to trust 
in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God [who giveth us 
abundantly all things to enjoy].” (1 Tim. vi, 17) 

The avaricious man makes a god of his riches: 

“Which is a serving of idols.” (Eph. v, 5) 

“Covetousness, which is the serving of idols.” (Col. iii, 5) 

“I am become rich, I have found me an idol.” (Os. xii, 8) 

“The avaricious wish to enjoy money, but to enjoy it as if it were 
God; since they strive for money not for the sake of God, but rather 
they worship God on account of money.” (S. Aug.) 

“The craving for gold is the mother of perfidy, idolatry, and sac¬ 
rilege.” (S. Ambr.) 

How wide-spread avarice is and how difficult to cure! 

“All have turned aside into their own way, every one after his own 
gains, from the first even unto the last.” (Is. lvi, 11) 

“From the least of them even to the greatest, all are given to covet¬ 
ousness.” (Jer. vi, 13) 

“An incurable disease, a furnace that is never extinguished, spread 
among the rulers of this world.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. He is eagerly intent on hoarding up riches 

The avaricious man employs all means, even those that are unjust, 
in preserving or increasing his wealth:—usury, dishonest dealing, il¬ 
legal contracts, etc.; he believes all are allowed! 

“He that grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by 
violence, that restoreth not the pledge, . . . that giveth upon usury, and 
that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? He shall not live. 
Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die.” 
(Ezech. xviii, 12, 13) 

“Thou shalt not lend to thy brother money to usury, nor corn, nor 
any other thing.” (Deut. xxiii, 19) 

Fraud . . . unjust lawsuits . . . extortion . . . monopoly. 


552 


AVARICE 


“Your hands forge injustice.” (Ps. lvii, 3) 

“He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 20) 

What is there that the avaricious man is incapable of? 

“What will you give me and I will deliver Him unto you?” (Matth. 
xxvi, 15) 

“They that will become rich fall into temptation, and into the snare 
of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which 
drown men into destruction and perdition.” (1 Tim. vi, 9) 

“Treason, fraud, deceit, perjury, restlessness and violence spring 
from avarice.” (S. Greg.) 

“The avaricious man is the common enemy of all.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Avarice is an enemy of Christ.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Losses afflict him grievously 

The avaricious man is filled with sadness if he meets with any pe¬ 
cuniary loss. An unselfish rich man says: 

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the 
name of the Lord.” (Job i, 21) 

The feelings of the avaricious man are very different: he is impa¬ 
tient, he cries out, he murmurs, he is in despair: 

“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house.” (Prov. xv, 27) 

“A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money; and he that 
loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them.” (Eccle. v, 9) 

4. The avaricious man does not use his wealth as justice and charity 

require 

He does not pay his debts, he refuses to pay fair wages, he oppresses 
the weak, he is insensible to the miseries of the poor. 

“Lazarus desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the 
rich man’s table, and no one did give him.” (Luke xvi, 21) 

“The spoil of the poor is in your house.” (Is. iii, 14) 

“For the crime of stealing from the owner is not greater than that 
of refusing to assist the needy, when you can help them out of your 
abundance.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Wretched man, what answer will you give to the Judge? You 
adorn your walls, you do not clothe your fellow-creature; you decor¬ 
ate your horses with trappings, and you despise your brother clothed 
in rags.” (S. Ambr.) 

He refuses to himself the most necessary things. Of what use then 
is his money to him? 

“Riches are not comely for a covetous man and a niggard, and what 
should an envious man do with gold?” (Eccli. xiv, 3) 


DIFFICULTY OF CORRECTING THIS VICE 


553 


‘‘The rich have wanted and have suffered hunger.” (Ps. xxxiii, n) 
“He that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good?” (Eccli. xiv, 

5 ) <{ 

“There is none worse than he that envieth himself, and this is the 
reward of his wickedness.” {Ibid., 6) 

“Nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. . . . There is not 
a more wicked thing than to love money; for such a one setteth even 
his own soul to sale; because while he liveth he hath cast away his 
bowels.” (Eccli. x, 9, 10) 

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which 
shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted and your garments 

are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered. . . . Behold the 

hire of the laborers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud 
has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered 

into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.” (Jas. v, 1-4) 

“The avaricious man is as little satisfied by what he possesses as by 
what he does not possess; for he covets what he has not, and fears to 
lose what he has.” (S. Jerome) 

“Happy is he who has not gone after those things, the possession of 
which is a burden, the love, pollution, and the loss, torment.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“The avaricious man is liberal with the goods of another, but miserly 
with his own; he avoids gluttony in order to fill up the money-box; he 
reduces his body in order to increase his gains.” {Id.) 


II. THE DIFFICULTY OF CORRECTING ONESELF OF THIS VICE 

Of all sinners the avaricious man is the most difficult to convert. 
The other passions are usually got rid of either by satisfying one’s 
desires, or by an unpleasant result, or by sickness, or by natural decay. 

“[But] that which is a remedy for the others is an incentive to 
avarice.” (S. Aug.) 

1. Success in his undertakings does not satisfy the avaricious man 
The more he has, the more he desires to have, and he is never 
content. 

“Hell and destruction are never filled: so the eyes of men are never 
satisfied.” (Prov. xxvii, 20) 

“The covetous man resembles hell: however much hell swallows up, 
it desires and covets more. In like manner the avaricious man is never 

satisfied.” (S. Aug.) . . , 

“The wholly avaricious man is infected with dropsy in the heart, 
the more he has, the more he desires. O avarice! O dropsy! O 


554 AVARICE 

ravenous hunger! O pestilence more cruel than a demon!” (S. 
Aug.) 

“The eye of the covetous man is insatiable; ... he will never 
be satisfied till he consumes his own soul, drying it up.” (Eccli. 
xiv, 9) 

“He never saith: It is enough. . . . Bring, bring.” (Prov. xxx, 
x 5 ) 

Achab had no rest until he seized the vineyard of Naboth (3 Kings 
xxi). 

“The avarice of the rich is insatiable; it is always grasping, and 
is never satisfied; it neither fears God nor respects man.” (S. Aug.) 

2. The reverses of life do not correct the avaricious, hut generally 
produce the opposite effect 

The more the avaricious man loses, the more trouble he takes to 
repair his losses, going so far as to refuse to himself and his family 
things that are necessary. 

“The desire of money is the root of all evils.” (1 Tim. vi, 10) 

“The results of riches are luxury, excessive anger, violent rage, 
haughty pride, and every irrational emotion.” (S. Chrys.) 

In order to root out avarice it would be necessary first to destroy 
all the vices to which it gives rise. 

“Avarice commands hard things, labor, dangers, sadness, and sor¬ 
row.” (S. Aug.) 

“We should shun riches. Those who have them do not seek them 
without toil, do not find them without difficulty, do not preserve them 
without anxiety, do not possess them without a guilty pleasure, do 
not lose them without grief.” (S. Prosper) 

3. Infirmities and natural decay have still less effect in correcting 

this vice 

Experience proves this. 

“When a man grows feeble, all his [other] vices grow feeble with 
him; avarice alone does not grow feeble.” (S. Aug.) 

The long-contracted habit of his sin has blinded him. Forced to do 
so by approaching death, he sends for a lawyer: “I leave.” Alas! 
unfortunate sinner, you leave that which you cannot take with you. 
You leave the accursed fruit of your sins. Your sins you will carry 
with you. You leave. . . . Alas! you leave your money to your 
heirs . . . your body to the earth . . . your soul to the devil. 

“The rich man also died, and he was buried in hell.” (Luke xvi, 
22) 

“He that gathereth together by wronging his own soul, gathereth 


DIFFICULTY OF CORRECTING THIS VICE 


555 

for others, and another will squander away his goods in rioting.” 
(Eccli. xiv, 4) 

“Where are those that hoard up gold and silver, wherein men 
trust? . . . They are gone down to hell, and others are risen up in 
their place.” (Baruch iii, 18, 19) 

“The rich man, when he shall sleep, shall take nothing away with 
him; he shall open his eyes and find nothing. Poverty like water 
shall hold on him, a tempest shall oppress him in the night.” (Job 
xxvii, 19, 20) 

“Riches shall not profit in the day of revenge.” (Prov. xi, 4) 

“Neither shall their silver and their gold be able to deliver them in 
the day of the wrath of the Lord.” (Soph, i, 18) 

“O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to the man that 
hath peace in his possessions.” (Eccli. xli, 1) 

“Woe to him that heapeth together that which is not his own! How 
long also doth he load himself with thick clay? Shall they not rise up 
suddenly that shall bite thee; and they be stirred up that shall tear 
thee, and thou shalt be a spoil to them? (Hab. ii, 6, 7) 

“Woe to him that gathereth together an evil covetousness to his 
house.” (Ibid., 9) 

“The covetous shall not possess the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 
vi, 10) 

“Look at the rich man during life: you see what he has here, con¬ 
sider what he takes with him. What does he take with him? Pie 
has much gold, much silver, a great property; he dies; those things 
are sold I know not to whom.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let your manners be without covetousness, content with such 
things as you have.” (Hebr. xiii, 5) 

“We brought nothing into this world, and certainly we can carry 
nothing out.” (1 Tim. vi, 7) 

“Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth; where the rust and 
moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal.” (Matth. 
vi, 19) 

“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer 
the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 


Divisions 

I 

The avaricious man is 

1. Impious towards God, 2. hard and unjust towards his neighbor, 
3. cruel towards himself. 



556 


AVARICE 


i. Impious towards God 

i°. He lives in forgetfulness of God, he despises the Source of all 
riches, he prefers his wealth to God. 

2°. He is ungrateful to God; far from thanking Him for the goods 
he has received from His bountiful hand, he attributes them to him¬ 
self ... he distrusts Divine Providence. 

2. Hard and unjust towards his neighbor 

i°. The avaricious man has no charity for his neighbor; 

2°. He even violates the laws of justice in his dealings with others. 

3. Cruel towards himself 

The wealth of the rich man serves only to make him unhappy, 

i°. In this world, by the desire of amassing and the fear of losing, 
he lives in misery in the midst of his abundance. 

2°. In eternity: “The covetous person hath no inheritance in the 
kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Eph. v, 5) 

II 

Means of curing oneself of avarice: 

Seriously reflect on these truths: 

1. “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I re¬ 
turn thither.” (Job i, 21) 

2. I am hoarding up riches to leave behind me; but for whom ? and 
why? 

3. I love money so much that the more I have, the more I gather 
together; but am I the happier for it? 

4. When we wish to quench a great fire, we throw a good deal of 
water on it; an excellent means of extinguishing avarice is to give all 
at once a large sum of money to the poor: “Alms resists sins” (Eccli. 
iii, 23). “What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and 
suffer the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 


XCII 


ENVY 

“Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matth. ix, 4) 

There is nothing which the wicked do not find fault with and con¬ 
demn, no matter how perfect and holy it may be. By their malicious 
envy they tarnish the most beautiful virtues and pour out on the most 
meritorious actions the poison of their slander or rash judgments. 
I. There is nothing more detestable than the sin of envy; and yet 
there is nothing more common in the world; II. There is nothing more 
dangerous to salvation; and yet there is nothing which people take less 
trouble in correcting. 

I. THERE IS NOTHING MORE DETESTABLE THAN THE SIN OF ENVY 

“Envy is sadness at the welfare of others.” (S. Thos.) To 
be afflicted because our brethren are happy, to feel joy in their dis¬ 
grace. ... 

“Envy is tormented at another’s welfare, and is delighted at his 
misfortune.” (S. Aug.) 

That is what is called envy, a vice that is most hateful, that includes 
at the same time, (1) meanness, (2) cruelty, (3) treachery. 

1. There is such cowardice in envy that those who are guilty of this 
vice, pretend to he free from it 

“Anger indeed killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little one.” 
(Job v, 2) 

In fact, those whom this sin kills, are indeed small, since they them¬ 
selves testify that they are lower than the object of their jealousy. 
Why can you not endure this neighbor? Because he manages his busi¬ 
ness better than you. 

“The eye of the envious is wicked; and he turneth away his face, 
and despiseth his own soul.” (Eccli. xiv, 8) 

“The eye of the devil ... the first invention of the devil.” (S. 

Chrys.) 

“By the envy of the devil death came into the world; and they fol¬ 
low him that are of his side.” (Wis. ii, 24, 25) 

557 


ENVY 


558 

“A man envies either his equals because they are equal to him; or 
his inferiors lest they may become equal to him; or his superiors be¬ 
cause he is not equal to them.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who is tormented by envy is very petty; because if he were not 
mean, he would not grieve at the prosperity of another.” (S. Greg.) 

“Hence by envy the devil in the very beginning of the world ruined 
the first man and destroyed all mankind.” (S. Prosper) 

“It is said that the basilisk, the worst and most detestable of all an¬ 
imals, carries poison in its eyes. Do you wish to know a poisonous 
eye, a wicked eye, a fascinating eye? Reflect on envy.” (S. Bern.) 

“When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad, and in his ruin let not thy 
heart rejoice; lest the Lord see, and it displease Him, and He turn 
away His wrath from him.” (Prov. xxiv, 17, 18) 

“Eat not with an envious man.” (Prov. xxiii, 6) 

2. There is nothing more cruel than envy 

What was it that excited the sons of Jacob against their brother, 
Joseph? Envy. 

“This matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to 
their envy and hatred.” (Gen. xxxvii, 8) 

“They that held darts envied him.” (Gen. xlix, 23) 

As men we should have feelings of humanity, and an envious man 
has none; as Christians we should have charity, and an envious man 
is not charitable; as members of the same body we should be united, 
but the envious man destroys all union. 

“Charity envieth not.” (1 Cor. xiii, 4) 

“If one member suffer anything, all the members suffer with it; or 
if one member glory, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. xii, 
26) 

“Rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep; being 
of one mind one towards another.” (Rom. xii, 15, 16) 

But while there is union everywhere else, even among animals: 
“[envious] men cannot spare their own kind.” (Cassiod.) 

“Satan envies, not other devils, but men; you, man though you are, 
envy men, and bear hatred against your own race and common na¬ 
ture,—a thing not done even by satan.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Is thy eye evil, because I am good?” (Matth. xx, 15) 

“The envious man is incited by flattery, is puffed up by obsequious¬ 
ness, is irritated by gifts, because he desires only the ruin or death 
of him whom he envies.” (Cassian) 

“Envy is a dreadful evil, because it changes the chief motive of 
love into hatred.” (S. Thos.) 


A DETESTABLE SIN 559 

“A monstrous vice with a wonderful resemblance to the demons.” 
(S. Aug.) 


3. Envy produces treachery, deceit, treason 

Hence those pretended reconciliations with enemies who are feared, 
in order that their secrets may be known and they themselves ruined. 
Thus Saul became reconciled to David. 

Hence those malicious reports of words and acts to which is 
given an evil meaning that poisons them. Thus the ministers of 
Darius induced that prince to cast Daniel into the lions’ den. (Dan. 
vi) 

Hence also those constrained salutations, those forced acts of civility, 
those sins of backbiting and calumny. 

“Detraction springs from envy.” (S. Greg.) 

“Envy is the root of all evils, the fountain of wrongs, the nursery- 
garden of all crimes.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Why do you extinguish all peace and charity by the blindness of 
envy?” (S. Cypr.) 

Envy is a plague that has spread on all sides and corrupts everything. 
There is nothing more dangerous than envy, and yet there is nothing 
more common. It is found in all places and in every condition of 
life. It is envy that disturbs the peace of married people, that sows 
disunion in families, and divides brethren. Even children are not ex¬ 
empt from it; fathers and mothers should guard against it. 

“Who is there that does not envy a fellow-citizen? Who is there 
that shows perfect charity towards his neighbor? All are separated 
from one another not by distance, but in affection; although they are 
united under one roof, yet they are separated in disposition. Are 
there any as closely united in affection as in blood? In whom does not 
the spiteful jealousy of ill-will burn? Where is the man whose heart 
has not been invaded by envy? Who is there that is not grieved at 
the prosperity of another? Who is it that does not believe the good 
fortune of another to be an injury to himself? What man is so con¬ 
tent with his own happiness, that he wishes others also to be happy ?” 
(Salvian) 

“Christ commanded us to keep envy from us. But we, on the 
other hand, envy not only strangers, but even our neighbors; we cover 
with the poison of envy not only our enemies, but even our friends. 
So great a power has this vice over the hearts of all. The pleasure 
of eating has an end, the pleasure of detracting has no end.” 
(Salvian) 

“Envy affects many people, even the best.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 


560 


ENVY 


II. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS 
THAN ENVY, IT IS VERY RARE TO FIND PEOPLE WHO 
STRIVE TO FREE THEMSELVES FROM THIS FAULT 

In order that a sinner may be converted, he must know his sin, he 
must cease committing it, and humbly accuse himself of it. But the 
envious man is (1) a blind man who does not recognize his sin, (2) 
a hardened man who does not wish to give it up, (3) a proud man 
who is unwilling to confess it. 

1. The envious man does not see his sin 

Every sin darkens the understanding; but there is no sin that forms 
denser clouds than envy. An envious man persuades himself that his 
sin is nothing, or, at least, that it is only a very small matter. This 
is why the wise man says: 

“Neither will I go with consuming envy; for such a man shall not 
be partaker of wisdom.” (Wis. vi, 25) 

The envious man looks on his passion as a pardonable weakness; 
he does not remember that it was the vice of Cain, of whom he be¬ 
comes an imitator. 

“Cain, blinded by the passion of jealousy, doomed his soul to the 
punishment of everlasting death.” 

“Wherefore did he kill him [his brother] ? Because his own works 
were wicked, and his brother’s just.” (1 John iii, 12) 

“Envious man, what are you longing for? Your own misfortune, 
or the prosperity of another.” (S. Basil) 

“I would almost say that he whom envy once corrupts by the deadly 
plague of its poison, has no remedy ... For envy is inflamed by those 
very remedies that extinguish other vices.” (Cassian) 

2. The envious man is so hardened that he does not wish to give 
up his sin; he loves evil for its own sake 

“He lives on the misfortunes of others.” (S. Basil) 

His sin, being one of pure malice, drags him into a series of faults 
that remove him farther and farther from his God, and consequently 
always increase the difficulty of his conversion. Mary, the sister of 
Moses, could not endure the honor given to her brother; she said: 

“Hath the Lord spoken by Moses only? . . . And being angry with 
them He [the Lord] went away . . . And behold Mary appeared 
white as snow with a leprosy.” (Num. xii, 2, 9, 10). Leprosy: for 
“envy is the rottenness of the bones.” (Prov. xiv, 30) 

Envy corrupts all the powers of the soul. 


HARD TO GET RID OF 


56i 

“Envy injures itself in the first place; it bites him who first feels 
it, it hurts the mind, feeds on the heart like a plague, consumes the 
reason.” (S. Isid.) 

The envy of the Pharisees: they did not cease calumniating and 
persecuting the Saviour . . . Even Pilate exposed the malice that 
urged them on. 

“For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him.” (Matth. 
xxvii, 18) 

“He that rejoiceth at another man’s ruin, shall not be unpunished.” 
(Prov. xvii, 5) 

“The envious man has as many torturers as the envied man has 
flatterers.” (S. Prosper) 

“There is nothing more just than envy, which continually torments 
and destroys him who cherishes it.” (S. Prosper) 

“O envy! who are always your own enemy; for the envious man 
certainly dishonors himself, and confers honor on him whom he en¬ 
vies.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Envious man, I pray you tell me, what pleasure does envy give you ? 
You whom malice tears in pieces with certain secret talons, and tor¬ 
tures by the sight of another’s happiness.” (S. Jerome) 

3. He is a proud man who does not wish to humble himself 
nor to confess his sin 

Where are the penitents who accuse themselves of the sin of envy? 
And if they will not accuse themselves of it, how can they receive 
pardon ? 

“The wound that is shown to the physician is more easily cured. 
The wounds caused by envy are deep and hidden; and those who, in 
blind grief, shut themselves up in the hiding-places of their conscience, 
do not admit the cure of the physician.” (S. Cypr.) 

“The envious man, being asked to make known his disease, is ab¬ 
solutely afraid to accuse himself, and retains deep within his heart the 
malady that is gnawing and consuming him.” (S. Basil). What 
happens ? 

“Is there any limit to crime, and do not men quit this life before 
they abandon their sins? For what envious man does not die in his 
iniquities, and is buried with them and in his crimes?” (Salvian) 

“The wicked shall see and shall be angry, he shall gnash with his 
teeth and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish. (Ps. 
cxi, 10) 

“The envious man cannot avoid being proud, for envy is the daugh¬ 
ter of pride. Great is the man who conquers pride by humility.” (S. 
Aug.) 


562 ENVY 

“The envious are friends of the devil, enemies of themselves, and 
hateful to all.” (S. Prosper) 

The envious will recognize, but only when too late, that they have 
become the victims of their own malice. 

“We are consumed in our wickedness.” (Wis. v, 13) 

“Be not emulous of evil doers, nor envy them that work iniquity.” 
(Ps. xxxvi, 1) 

“My joy is fulfilled. He must increase; but I must decrease.” 
(John iii, 29, 30) 

“Let us not be made desirous of vain-glory, envying one another.” 1 
(Gal. v, 26) 

“Be zealous for better gifts.” (1 Cor. xii, 31) 


Divisions 

I 

There is no passion more unjust than envy: 
i°. because it is opposed to charity, 

2 0 . because of the great evils it causes, both to the envious man 
and to society. 


II 

There is no passion more blind than envy. 

Is it not, in fact, a great blindness to make oneself miserable be¬ 
cause others are happy? 

i°. The envious man is miserable in this world, because he is pun¬ 
ished by his own sin; his passion alone is his punishment. 

2 0 . He is preparing for an unhappy eternity in the other world. 



XCIII 


ANGER 

“Whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judg¬ 
ment.” (Matth. v, 22) 

You are not only forbidden to kill, says Christ, but you must not 
even be angry with your brother. 

Nevertheless the sin of anger is very common in the world. To 
inspire you with all the horror of it which it deserves, we shall con¬ 
sider: I. How deserving of censure it is in its cause; II. How per¬ 
nicious it is in its effects. 


I. ANGER DESERVING OF CENSURE IN ITS CAUSE 

Anger is an emotion which impels us to resent what displeases us. 

“Anger is an eager desire of revenge; but the desire may be law¬ 
ful or unlawful.” (S. Thos.) 

There is an anger which is just and reasonable. 

“Be ye angry and sin not.” (Ps. iv, 5) 

Such was the anger of Phinees, who “went in after the Israelite into 
the brothel-house, and thrust both of them through together, to wit, 
the man and the woman.” (Num. xxv, 8) 

Such was the anger of Moses against the Israelites who adored the 
golden calf (Exod. xxxii). 

Such was that of David against sinners: 

“In the morning I put to death all the wicked of the land.” (Ps. 

c, 8) 

Such was the anger of Jesus Christ Himself: 

“When He had made as it were a scourge of little cords, He drove 
them all out of the temple . . . and the money of the changers He 
poured out and the tables He overthrew. And His disciples remem¬ 
bered that it was written: The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up.” 
(John ii, 15, 1 7 ) 

“He who is angry with the sin of his brother is not angry with his 
brother. He, therefore, who is angry, not at his brother’s sin, but 
with his brother, is angry without cause.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is better even not to open the door of the heart to just anger 

563 


ANGER 


564 

demanding admission; for if once admitted, it is not easily driven out.” 
(S. Aug.) 

If your anger was of this kind you would deserve nothing but 
praise. But let us see what are the causes of your anger. It arises 
(1) either from an inordinate love of self, or (2) from a too great 
attachment to worldly goods, or (3) from want of submission to the 
Will of God. 


1. Anger arises from an inordinate love of self 

Man is full of self-love; he is unwilling to suffer anything that 
thwarts his inclinations or wounds his self-esteem. The least thing 
that troubles his repose, or that opposes him, makes him impatient and 
irritable. It is self-love that gives rise to these fits of bad temper and 
vexation,—it is pride. Such was the cause of Aman’s anger against 
Mordochai, who would not bend the knee before him. (Esther iii, 6) 

“Be not quickly angry . . . Remove anger from thy heart.” 
(Eccle. vii, 10 and xi, 10) 

“The proud and the arrogant is called ignorant, who in anger work- 
eth pride.” (Prov. xxi, 24) 

“Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vain-glory; 
but in humility let each esteem others better than themselves. Each 
one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other 
men’s. For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” 
(Philip, ii, 3 - 5 ) 

“Anger is the restless desire to remove those things that impede 
facility of action. Therefore we are very often angry not only with 
men, but even with a pen when writing, and we throw it down.” (S. 
Aug.) 


2. From a too great attachment to worldly goods 

How often do you not give way to outbursts of passionate anger 
because of some loss you have met with, of some injury you have 
suffered? But have your anger and the imprecations that follow from 
it ever removed the evils of which you complain? Have they served 
any other purpose than to make you guilty before God, and perhaps 
to cause you much annoyance? 

3. From want of submission to the will of God 

“Man ... is filled with many miseries.” (Job xiv, 1) 

God permits it in order to detach us from the world. He afflicts us 
by reverses of fortune: 

“That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which 


PERNICIOUS IN ITS EFFECTS 565 

is tried by fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honor at 
the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. i, 7) 

The man who is angry and impatient in his troubles, far from sub¬ 
mitting to the Will of God, would wish that the Divine Will should 
conform to his own. Hence impatience and murmuring against Di¬ 
vine Providence in sickness, difficulties, misfortunes, losses, and dis¬ 
grace. 

“Always desire and pray that the Will of God may be wholly ful¬ 
filled in you. Behold, the man that does these things enters within 
the borders of peace and rest.” ( Imit ., B. iii, c. 23) 

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: . . . blessed be 
the name of the Lord.” (Job i, 21) 

“I was troubled, and I spoke not.” (Ps. lxxvi, 5) 

“As a man I was disturbed, as a Christian I was silent.” (S. 
Jerome) 

“I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things.” 
(Ps. xxxviii, 3) 

“She [S. Monica] had learned not to resist an angry husband, neither 
in act nor even in word.” (S. Aug.) 

“Be not overcome by evil, but overcome ev. ; l by good.” (Rom. 
xii, 21) 


II. ANGER PERNICIOUS IN ITS EFFECTS 

What springs from a bad source cannot be otherwise than pernicious 
in its effects. Such is anger. It makes man, (1) his own enemy, (2) 
his neighbor’s enemy, (3) God’s enemy. 

1. Anger makes man his own enemy by the evils it causes to 
both body and soul 

“Envy and anger shorten a man’s days.” (Eccli. xxx, 26) 

“Anger indeed killeth the foolish.” (Job v, 2) 

How many sudden deaths are caused by paroxysms of anger! 

But what sad effects it produces especially in the soul! The char¬ 
acteristic of anger is to disturb the reason of him over whom it holds 
sway, to rob him of the peace and tranquillity of soul without which 
he cannot enjoy true happiness in this life. 

What can be more opposed to reason than anger? An angry man 
no longer sees what he is doing, no longer knows what he is saying. 
Look at a man agitated by anger:—his body is trembling, his face is 
livid and altered, his eyes are blazing, his looks threatening. Is he 
still a man? What can be more void of reason? And he often gets 
angry at very trivial things, at the thoughtlessness of a child, at the 


ANGER 


566 

slowness of a servant, because some article of furniture is not in its 
place. Is it to be wondered at that a man of this character does not 
enjoy any peace? His soul is like a hell, in which there is no order, 
nothing but ceaseless agitation; he becomes his own punishment, his 
own enemy. 

“Be not quickly angry; for anger resteth |n the bosom of a fool.” 
(Eccle. vii, 10) 

“The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest.” (Is. 
lvii, 20) 

“A man wise in his words shall make himself beloved.” (Eccli. 
xx ’ * 3 ) 

“[But] a fool immediately sheweth his anger.” (Prov. xii, 16) 
“Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women.” (Job ii, 10) 
“Be not as a lion in thy house.” (Eccli. iv, 35) 

“If anger is violent beyond measure, it injuriously affects the judg¬ 
ment, it blunts the affections, it alters the language, it blinds the eyes, 
and disturbs the whole body.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The anger of man is vexatious, and is not without torture of the 
mind.” (S. Aug.) 

“Prudence is destroyed by anger, so that a man does not know what 
he is doing or why he does it.” (S. Greg.) 

“Pride deprives me of God, envy robs me of my neighbor, and anger 
robs me of myself.” (Hugh of S. Victor) 

2. Anger makes man the enemy of his neighbor 

He is insupportable to himself, he cannot but be the same to others. 
All of us have these faults, we have need of help. 

“Bear ye one another’s burdens.” (Gal. vi, 2) 

But an angry man cannot bear anything. Is he offended? He be¬ 
comes inflamed with passion, he vomits out reproaches and curses and 
renders himself unbearable. 

What is the ordinary cause of the quarrels, lawsuits, domestic dis¬ 
cord, that disturb society? Is it not anger? Does not this passion 
even incite to murder? 

“Their feet are swift to shed blood.” (Ps. xiii, 3) 

“A passionate man stirreth up strifes; he that is patient appeaseth 
those that are stirred up.” (Prov. xv, 18) 

“A spirit that is easily angered, who can bear?” (Prov. xviii, 14) 
“It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and 
passionate woman.” (Prov. xxi, 19) 

“Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious 
man; lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and take scandal to thy soul.” 
(Prov. xxii, 24, 25) 


PERNICIOUS IN ITS EFFECTS 567 

“A mild answer breaketh wrath; but a harsh word stirreth up fury.” 
(Prov. xv, 1) 

“He that provoketh wrath, bringeth forth strife.” (Prov. xxx, 33) 
“A passionate man kindleth strife.” (Eccli. xxviii, 11) 

“We do not at first hate those with whom we are angry; but if this 
anger continues and is not quickly rooted out, it increases and becomes 
hatred.” (S. Aug.) 

“We should dwell with a wild beast rather than with an angry man. 
For anger leads a man into the rage of wild beasts, and makes him 
more furious than a dragon.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Vehement anger produces sad consequences in a short time.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“The first weapons of anger are always accursed; and whenever we 
weak-minded people cannot do a thing, we choose to be angry; and 
so in every movement of impatient minds we use bad wishes for arms.” 
(Salvian) 

“Contemplate the foundations of the noblest cities; anger has up¬ 
rooted them. Think of the desert solitudes without an inhabitant; 
anger has depopulated them. See houses consumed by conflagrations, 
fountains ruined by poison, families extinct; anger has perpetrated all 
these crimes.” (Bona, Mcmud. ad Coelum.) 

“The angry man gnashes his teeth, disturbs his relatives, creates di¬ 
visions among his neighbors, strikes down with a clenched hand, 
is carried away by vexation, and injures those who yield to him: 
what greater madness! what more violent fury!” (S. Pet. 
Chrys.) 

3. Anger makes man the enemy of God 

Can we be astonished at this, since there is nothing more opposed 
to the Spirit of God than anger? The Spirit of God is a Spirit of 
peace and kindness. 

“His place is in peace.” (Ps. lxxv, 3) 

“The Lord is not in the earthquake.” (3 Kings xix, 11) 

Jesus Christ came into this world to establish peace; He taught it 
to us both by word and example. 

“Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matth. 

xi, 29) 

“Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children 

of God.” (Matth. v, 9) . . 

But can we recognize the Spirit of God in an angry man. Is it 
not rather the spirit of the devil ? 

“Let not the sun go down upon your anger. Give not place to the 
devil.” (Eph. iv, 26, 27) 


568 ANGER 

The moment the demon takes possession of a soul, it ceases to be 
the dwelling-place of God. 

“Thou destroyest thy soul in thy fury.” (Job xviii, 4) 

“Let not the sun go down upon your anger. Let your anger be 
brief and let it not last until to-morrow. What will those do on the 
day of judgment upon whose anger the sun, not of one day, but of 
many years, has gone down as a witness?” (S. Jerome) 

“Man to man reserveth anger, and doth he seek remedy of God?” 
(Eccli. xxviii, 3) 

“He that is easily stirred up to wrath, shall be more prone to sin.” 
(Prov. xxix, 22) 

“Anger and fury are both of them abominable.” (Eccli. xxvii, 33) 
“What is it that can be cured by anger, if it is not cured by the pa¬ 
tience of God?” (S. Aug.) 

“Anger is the door of all vices. When this door is closed, virtues 
have repose in the heart; but when it is open, the mind is ready for 
every crime.” (S. Jerome) 

“I do not know who may possess the kingdom of God, since he who 
is angry is excluded from that kingdom.” (S. Jerome) 

“This is the nature of anger, that, when put aside, it languishes and 
dies out, when given expression to, it becomes more and more in¬ 
flamed.” (Bede) 

“Patience is necessary for you, that, doing the will of God, you may 
receive the promise.” (Hebr. x, 36) 

“The meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of 
peace.” (Ps. xxxvi, 11) 

“Remember the fear of God, and be not angry with thy neighbor.” 
(Eccli. xxviii, 8) 

“In your patience you shall possess your souls.” (Luke xxi, 19) 
“Shewing all mildness towards all men.” (Tit. iii, 2) 

“I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you 
are called, with all humility and mildness, with patience supporting 
one another in charity; careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace.” (Eph. iv, 1-3) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Effects of anger. 

i°. The angry man is his own enemy; 

2°. He is his neighbor’s enemy; 



PERNICIOUS IN ITS EFFECTS 


S<59 


3 0 . He is the enemy of God. 

2. Remedies against anger. 

1°. Humility: “With all humility”; 

2°. Mildness : “With mildness”; 

3 0 . Patience: “With patience supporting one another in charity.” 
(Eph. iv, 2) 

II 

“Peace be to you!” What is more opposed to this peace than 
anger ? 

1. It destroys the peace that should exist between God and the soul. 

i°. Because it is totally opposed to the Spirit of God. 

You can convince yourself of this, 

a) By God’s manner of acting; 

b) By the teaching of Jesus Christ; 

c) By the example of His most faithful servants. 

2°. Because it often causes man to defy the majesty of God. “Other 
vices fly from God,” said a holy Father, “but anger stretches out its 
hand against Him” (Job xv, 25). Blasphemy, cursing, are the re¬ 
sult of anger. 

2. It destroys peace with our neighbor. 

The angry man daily violates, 

i°. The most sacred laws of flesh and blood; 

2°. The laws of Christian charity, which are not less deserving of 
respect. 

3. It destroys the peace which we should preserve in our own hearts. 

III 

Faults which anger causes us to commit against ourselves: 

i°. It goes so far as to impede the use of reason; 

2 0 . It causes paroxysms of frenzy, which reason condemns; 

3 0 . It impairs the perfection of reason by removing all the virtues 
that could serve to adorn it. 


XCIV 


GLUTTONY 

INTEMPERANCE, DRUNKENNESS 

“Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with 
surfeiting and drunkenness.” (Luke xxi, 34) 

The sensual, the intemperate, abuse the gifts which God has given 
to man for his support; they make use of these goods only to offend 
God by the monstrous excesses to which they abandon themselves. 
Let us strive to open their eyes to their crime and misery by show¬ 
ing them how much opposed this vice is to reason and religion. I. 
The intemperate man is a man without reason; II. He is a man with¬ 
out religion. 

I. THE INTEMPERATE MAN IS A MAN WITHOUT REASON 

Intemperance consists in the immoderate use of those things that 
are necessary for the support of the body. This excess can be com¬ 
mitted either in the quantity or quality of the food, or in the manner 
in which the food is taken. It is against excess in quantity, which 
is more directly opposed to right reason, that I would specially 
warn you. 

Reason teaches us to avoid carefully everything that tends to im¬ 
pair (1) health, (2) fortune, (3) reason itself, which distinguishes us 
from the lower animals. But such is necessarily the fruit of 
drunkenness. 


1. Intemperance injures the health 

“In many meats there will be sickness, and greediness will turn to 
choler. By surfeiting many have perished; but he that is temperate, 
shall prolong life.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 33, 34) 

“They that give themselves to drinking, and that club together, shall 
be consumed.” (Prov. xxiii, 21) 

“The wine goeth in pleasantly, but in the end it will bite like a 
snake, and will spread abroad poison like a basilisk.” (Prov. xxiii, 

31.32) 


570 


RUINOUS EFFECTS 


57i 


“What is his life, who is diminished with wine?” (Eccli. xxxi, 33) 

“Sober drinking is health to soul and body.” (Eccli. xxxi, 37) 

“How can the body that is filled with drink be healthy?” (S. 
Basil) 

Without speaking of sudden deaths caused by drunkenness, let us 
see whence come most diseases. 

“Gluttony kills more than the sword.” (S. Aug.) 

“Gluttony kills very many, temperance does not kill any one; num¬ 
berless people have been injured by drunkenness, frugality has in¬ 
jured none; many have died while feasting and have covered the table 
with their own blood.’” (S. Ambr.) 

2. Intemperance ruins one's property 

It is not necessary to insist on a truth the proofs of which are be¬ 
fore us every day. The drunkard neglects his work, allows himself 
to be imposed upon, spends his money foolishly. If only he himself 
suffered for his folly,—but his wife and his children also suffer because 
of it. 

“He that loveth good cheer, shall be in want; he that loveth wine 
and fat things, shall not be rich.” (Prov. xxi, 17) 

“Those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of 
men’s bowels, and devourers of blood.” (Wis. xii, 5) 

“A workman that is a drunkard shall not be rich.” (Eccli. xix, 1) 

“Wine drunken with excess raiseth quarrels, and wrath, and many 
ruins.” (Eccli. xxxi, 38) 

“When under the influence of drink men destroy the effect of all 
their good deeds.” (S. Greg.) 

“In one day they drink the labor of many days.” (S. Ambr.) 

3. Intemperance impairs reason 

Reason says to us: You must eat to live and not live to eat; but 
the intemperate, the drunkards, live only to eat and drink; they know 
no moderation, no limit; they eat and drink until they can no longer 
bear the quantity of food and drink which they have taken. Drunken¬ 
ness comes on; where is their reason ? Examine a drunkard in all his 
bearing. Is he still a man? Follow him into his house; what a spec¬ 
tacle is there presented! 

“Man when he was in honor did not understand; he is compared to 
senseless beasts, and is become like to them. (Ps. xlviii, 13) 

“For what beast is as offensive both to the sight and the hearing as 
the drunkard?” (S. Basil) 

“What is a drunkard but an unnecessary creature?’ (S. Ambr.) 

“There is no secret where drunkenness reigneth.’ (Prov. xxxi, 4) 


572 


GLUTTONY 


“The drunkard disturbs nature, loses grace, destroys glory, and finds 
eternal damnation/' (S. Aug.) 

“There is nothing more pernicious, nothing more shameful, than 
gluttony; it makes the intellect dull and stupid, it renders the mind 
carnal, it blinds the understanding, and does not permit it to examine 
anything. When drunkenness rules, reason is banished, the under¬ 
standing is impaired, advice is unheeded, and the judgment is de¬ 
stroyed.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their revellings, who 
contribute flesh to eat.” (Prov. xxiii, 20) 

“Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at 
drunkenness.” (Is. v, 22) 

Woe to those who deliver themselves up to these excesses! But 
woe also to those who furnish drunkards with drink, who entertain 
them at unseasonable hours! 

“If you make yourself and another drunk, you make man your 
friend, but God your enemy.” (S. Aug.) 

“You ask friends to share your pleasures, you drive them to death; 
you invite them to dinner, and you wish to carry them to the grave; 
you promise food, and you give that which tortures; you place wines 
before them, and you pour out poison.” (S. Ambr.) 

“What is more unhappy than to be under the tyranny of drunken¬ 
ness? To load the stomach beyond its capacity, to deprive the under¬ 
standing of reason, to be unable to speak, to think, to stand, and in a 
sense, to impose death on unimpaired nature.” (S. Hilary) 

“The drunkard is unfit for any business. What is more disgraceful 
than a drunkard? He is an object of ridicule to his servants, a 
laughing-stock to his enemies, miserable with his friends, he deserves 
the detestation of all.” (S. Chrys.) 

“These men, as irrational beasts, shall perish in their corruption, re¬ 
ceiving the reward of their injustice.” (2 Pet. ii, 12) 

“Drunkards are to be considered as worse than brute beasts.” (S. 
Aug.) 


II. THE DRUNKARD IS A MAN WITHOUT RELIGION 

“The intemperate man, the drunkard, is a man devoid of religion; 
because no matter how we look at his predominant vice, it is opposed 
to the spirit of Christianity. 

1. This sin deprives a man of the grace of God; 2. it destroys the 
Christian virtues and is the source of many sins; 3. it places the soul 
in grave danger, on account of the difficulty of breaking it off. 


THE SOURCE OF MANY OTHER SINS 


573 


1. Intemperance deprives man of the grace of God 

Can a sin that is mortal in its nature and the source of many other 
sins, co-exist with divine grace ? But such is the sin of gluttony. Is 
it not this sin that ruined our first parents ? The Israelites, weary of 
the manna, desired to eat flesh. 

“As yet their meat was in their mouth, and the wrath of God came 
upon them.” (Ps. lxxvii, 30) 

“This our son is rebellious and stubborn, he slighteth hearing our 
admonitions, he giveth himself to revelling, and to debauchery and 
banquetings. The people of the city shall stone him; and he shall die.” 
(Deut. xxi, 20, 21) 

“In the days of Noe they did eat and drink, until the day that he 
entered into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all.” 
(Luke xvii, 27) 

“Baltassar, the king, made a great feast for his nobles . . . And 
every one drank ... In the same hour there appeared fingers, as it 
were the hand of a man writing.” (Dan. v, i, 5) 

But how much more terrible are the chastisements which God re¬ 
serves for the intemperate in the other life! 

“Drunkenness, revellings . . . they who do such things shall not ob¬ 
tain the kingdom of God.” (Gal. v, 21) 

“Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool 
my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.” (Luke xvi, 24) 

“Who hath woe? whose father hath woe? Surely they that pass 
their time in wine, and study to drink off their cups.” (Prov. xxiii, 

29 ;< 30) 

“Very many take pride in being able to drink much without getting 
drunk: let these listen to the Prophet speaking against them: ‘Woe to 
you that are mighty to drink wine.’” (S. Isid.) 

“Woe means destruction.” (S. Jerome) 

“Wine and women make wise men fall off.” (Eccli. xix, 2) 

“Woe to you that rise up early in the morning to follow drunken¬ 
ness, and to drink till the evening.” (Is. v, 11) 

“[Who say:] Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.” 
(Is. xxii, 13) 

“As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so 
much torment and sorrow give ye to her.” (Apoc. xviii, 7) 

2. Intemperance is the source of many other sins 

It destroys the Christian virtues; it brings in its train impiety, irre- 
ligion, injustice, impurity, and innumerable other crimes. 


574 GLUTTONY 

“This was the iniquity of Sodom, . . . fulness of bread.” (Ezech. 
xvi, 49) 

The intemperate man sins against God: 

His God is his belly. (Phil, iii, 19) 

He neglects his religious duties, prayer, the Sacraments, the Sun¬ 
day worship, the word of God, . . . what blasphemies, what impious 
discourses come forth from his lips when he is drunk . . . 

“They that are such serve not Christ, our Lord, but their own belly.” 
(Rom. xvi, 18) 

He sins against his neighbor: injuries, quarrels, murders, injustices, 
thefts to provide for his expenses. 

He sins against himself: shameful thoughts, impure desires, licen¬ 
tious conversations, lewd actions. 

“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury.” (Ephes. v, 18) 

“I believe that the drunkard is never chaste.” (S. Jerome) 

But if intemperance is the source of so many sins, should we be 
astonished that it is the ruin of virtue, of the love of God, of charity 
towards the neighbor, of humility, modesty, purity? And how much 
these excesses are opposed to the spirit of Christianity, which is a spirit 
of penance and mortification! 

“Wine is a luxurious thing, and drunkenness riotous.” (Prov. 
xx, 1) 

“They were made full; and they lifted up their heart, and have for¬ 
gotten Me.” (Os. xiii, 6) 

“The beloved grew fat and kicked; he grew fat, and thick, and 
gross, he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his 
Saviour.” (Deut. xxxii, 15) 

“The eating of meat, and the drinking of wine, and the satiety of 
the stomach, is the nursery of lust.” (S. Jerome) 

“These are the first weapons employed by the demon against youth, 
namely, wine and luxury.” (S. Jerome) 

“From the gluttony of the stomach are propagated senseless joy, 
scurrility, uncleanness, babbling, and dulness of the understanding.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“Gluttony leads a numberless army of vices to fight against the soul. 
When the vice of intemperance is cut off, many vices are destroyed at 
the same time.” (Id.) 

“The just eateth and filleth his soul; but the belly of the wicked is 
never to be filled.”* (Prov. xiii, 25) 

“Drunkards seem to despise God in their drunkenness.” (Salvian) 

3. Intemperance places the soul in grave danger 

That which above all should make drunkards and the intemperate 


MANY OTHER SINS 


575 


tremble, is that this vice exposes their salvation to very great danger, 
not only on account of the sins that follow from it, but also because 
of the difficulty of freeing oneself from it. Do we see many who free 
themselves from the vice of drunkenness? The enormity of this vice 
and its sad effects do not touch them. They remain away from the 
Sacraments or receive them without a true purpose of amendment. 
They carry their fatal habit with them into old age, and sometimes even 
to the grave. 

“They have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness 
have erred.” (Is. xxviii, y) 

“Woe to you that are filled, for you shall hunger.” (Luke vi, 25) 

“Use as a frugal man the things that are set before thee, lest if thou 
eatest much thou be hated.” (Eccli. xxxi, 19) 

“I thought in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I 
might turn my mind to wisdom, and might avoid folly.” (Eccle. 

ii, 3) 

“Awake, ye that are drunk, and weep, and mourn all ye that take 
delight in drinking sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.” 

(Joel i, 5) 

“Let the just feast, and rejoice before God; and be delighted with 
gladness.” (Ps. lxvii, 4) 

“Whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 
x > 3i) 

“Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunken¬ 
ness.” (Rom. xiii, 13) 


Divisions 

1. Everything condemns the drunkard. 

What renders him infamous and criminal is: 

i°. He injures his health; 

2°. He loses his good name; 

3 0 . He risks his salvation. 

2. The excuses given by the drunkard do not justify him. 

i°. He gives as an excuse the meeting with a relative or a friend; 

2°. It is a relaxation, he says, that is allowed to poor men who have 
worked hard all week; 

3 0 . It is a vice of youth, some say, a habit contracted long since, 
which cannot be broken off; 

4 0 . Men have business to transact, it is said, and it is customary to 
drink together at such times. Refutation of these excuses. 



xcv 


SLOTH 

“Why stand you here all the day idle?” (Matth. xx, 6) 

It is not the violent passions alone that are to be feared. Sloth, lan¬ 
guishing as it is, is to be dreaded infinitely more; it corrupts more 
hearts than all other passions together, and this for two very remark¬ 
able reasons: people do not fear sloth, and they do not recognize it. 
Nevertheless, I. It is very dangerous to be slothful; II. Whatever a 
man may do, he is idle if he is not occupied in the work of his salvation. 


I. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO BE SLOTHFUL 

Sloth is an act of cowardice, an inordinate love of repose, which 
causes a man to neglect the duties of religion, or of his state of life, 
rather than do the least violence to himself. But sloth is very danger¬ 
ous, for it closes the door to all that is good, and opens it to all that 
is evil. The heart of a slothful man is like a hell in which, as in the 
hell of the devils, are found all evils without any good. 

i. Sloth closes the door to all that is good 

Honor, wealth, science, virtue, are not acquired without labor; and 
to speak of virtue alone, the only really solid and desirable good, do 
you not know what labor, what efforts, what violence to oneself, it 
costs? It is established only on the ruin of the passions, and it is not 
easy to destroy these. 

“For when cut off they sprout again.” (S. Bern.) 

It would be necessary to do violence to oneself. 

The slothful man is incapable of generous efforts. Therefore, where 
sloth is, there are no virtues, no riches, no science, no honor. 

“Desires have killed the slothful, for his hands have refused to work 
at all.” (Prov. xxi, 25) 

“The sluggard willeth and willeth not; but the soul of them that 
work shall be made fat.” (Prov. xiii, 4) 

“The slothful man saith: There is a lion without, I shall be slain 
in the midst of the streets.” (Prov. xxii, 13) 

576 


THE DANGER OF BEING SLOTHFUL 577 

“As the door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his 
bed.” (Prov. xxvi, 14) 

“There is no virtue without labor, for labor is the progress of vir¬ 
tue.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Love is not idle; if it is great it works; but if it refuses to work it 
is not love.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The kingdom of Heaven does not come to the idle and the slumber¬ 
ing; eternal happiness is not given to those who are benumbed by idle¬ 
ness and sloth.” (S. Prosp.) 

“Be doing something, so that the devil may always find you oc¬ 
cupied.” (S. Jerome) 

“Idleness is the blight of wisdom and genius.” (Id.) 

“Shun idleness; it is the mother of foolish things, the step-mother 
of virtues.” (S. Bern.) 

“Idleness is the off-scouring of all temptations and evil thoughts, 
the worst quality of the mind, the refuse of all evils, the death of the 
soul. The demon makes use of idleness as a door by which to pour 
the unlawful allurements of thoughts into even the purest minds.” 
(Id.) 

“As water which does not flow but lies in a pool, becomes putrid, 
so the body of the slothful man brings forth and nourishes the mad¬ 
ness of carnal desires and pleasures.” (Id.) 

“An idle mind does not know how to think of anything but food and 
the stomach.” (Cassian) 

“Spiritual cowardice and sloth squander and destroy the whole 
treasure of virtue.” (S. John Clim.) 

2. It opens the door to all evils 

As an uncultivated field produces a quantity of useless weeds, so the 
heart that is not cultivated is fruitful in bad desires and criminal 
thoughts. 

“They [the slothful rich] are not in the labor of men, neither shall 
they be scourged like other men. Therefore pride hath held 
them fast; they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness. 
Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were, from fatness; they 
have passed into the affection of the heart. They have thought and 
spoken wickedness; they have spoken iniquity on high.” (Ps. 

lxxii, 5-8) . . 

Thus, idleness produces pride, vanity, ambition, injustice, impiety. 
The Israelites were not employed while Moses was absent. They went 
so far as to adore a golden calf. M 

“The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play. 

(Exod. xxxii, 6) 


578 SLOTH 

Idleness was the source of the sin and misery of the inhabitants of 
Sodom. 

“This was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread, 
and abundance, and the idleness of her and of her daughters.” 
(Ezech. xvi, 49) 

Do not most of the crimes that are committed spring from idleness? 

“Idleness hath taught much evil.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 29) 

An industrious man is tempted by the devil of sloth only; the idle 
man is tempted by all the devils at once. 

“He whom battles do not subdue is tempted by idleness.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“Idleness is the mother of all concupiscence, and impurity, and sin.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“Idleness is a part of wickedness, not indeed a mere part, but the 
cause and evil root, since it has taught all evil.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Sloth is as it were the mistress and origin of all evils.” (Id.) 

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways and learn wisdom: 
which although she hath no guide, nor master, nor captain, provideth 
her meat for herself in the summer, and gathereth her food in the 
harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou 
rise out of thy sleep? Thou wilt sleep a little, thou wilt slumber a 
little . . . and want shall come upon thee as a traveller, and poverty 
as a man armed.” (Prov. vi, 6-11) 

“Blush, O Christian, since you are proved to be more foolish than 
beasts and ants.” (S. Aug.) 

“How we should hate idleness which makes man worse than the ant 
and the bee.” (S. Basil) 

“Because of the cold the sluggard would not plough; he shall beg 
therefore in the summer, and it shall not be given him.” (Prov. 
XX, 4) 

“I passed by the field of the slothful man, rmd by the vineyard of 
the foolish man; and behold it was all filled with nettles, and thorns 
had covered the face thereof, and the stone-wall was broken down.” 
(Prov. xxiv, 30, 31) 

How contemptible is the sluggard! 

“The sluggard is pelted with a dirty stone, and all men will speak 
of his disgrace. The sluggard is pelted with the dung of oxen; and 
every one that toucheth him will shake his hands.” (Eccli. xxii, 1, 2) 

“He that pursueth idleness is very foolish.” (Prov. xii, 11) 

“He that followeth idleness shall be filled with poverty.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 19) 

“The slothful hand hath wrought poverty; but the hand of the 
industrious getteth riches.” (Prov. x, 4) 


NEGLECTING THE WORK OF SALVATION 579 

“We are benumbed by sloth, and we indulge in vanity and buffoon¬ 
ery, as if the life of man on earth were peace and not warfare.” (S. 
Bern.) 


II. WHATEVER A MAN MAY DO, HE IS IDLE IF HE IS NOT 
ENGAGED IN THE WORK OF HIS SALVATION 

That just man who does not mix in worldly affairs, appears to be 
idle; and yet he is very busy: he is working to save his soul. 

“The idleness of the wise man is occupation.” (S. Bern.) 

Men of the world are very busy, they labor unceasingly, and yet 
they are idle, they do not think of their salvation; and not to think 
of that is to be idle. “They work but do nothing.” This opinion is 
founded, (1) on authority, (2) on reason, (3) on their own admission. 

1. This opinion founded on authority 

“You walk disorderly, working not at all, but curiously meddling.” 
(2 Thess. iii, 11) 

“The trifling occupations of grown people are called business; but 
children who do such things are punished by their elders.” (S. Aug.) 

“Vanity of vanities . . . What hath a man more of all his labor?” 
(Eccle. i, 2, 3) 

“He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly; and he who 
soweth in blessings, shall also reap of blessings.” (2 Cor. ix, 6) 

“As idleness is an evil thing, so also is the work that is unsuitable; 
let us therefore strive to avoid both idleness and the work which is 
worse than idleness.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Among those things which the Lord hates is this, sluggish and 
indolent laziness, ceasing to do that which the duty of our state obliges 
us to do.” (S. Basil) 

“If you would be perfect avoid idleness, because there is nothing 
worse found in the servants of God.” (S. Aug.) 

“Not to do good is nothing else than to do evil.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Thou art spent with foolish labor.” (Exod. xviii, 18) 

“Why have the people devised vain things?” (Ps. ii, 1) 

“They shall be considered as a spider.” (Ps. lxxxix, 10) 

“Their works are unprofitable works . . . Their thoughts are un¬ 
profitable thoughts.” (Is. lix, 6, 7) 

2. On reason 

When a man neglects his business and does not fulfil the duties of 
his state, it is said that he does nothing. And yet he is so busy! 


SLOTH 


580 

Yes, but he does not do what he should do. What is the great business 
of a Christian? It is that of saving his soul. 

‘‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many 
things; but one thing is necessary.” (Luke x, 41) 

If you neglect the affair of salvation you are idle; what you are 
doing is not what you should do. 

“We entreat you, brethren, that you abound more; and that you 
use your endeavor to be quiet, and that you do your own business, 
and work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” (1 Thess. 
iv, 10, 11) 

“It is absurd to engage in unprofitable occupation in order to avoid 
idleness. A man is idle when he does anything that does not help him 
in saving his soul.” (Pet. Cell.) 

Thus, how many years should be counted as lost! An innocent life, 
though short, is reputed long. 

“A spotless life is old age.” (Wis. iv, 9) 

On the other hand, the longest life is short and empty if it is not 
passed in doing good works. 

“Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own 
labor.” (1 Cor. iii, 8) 

“If any man will not work, neither let him eat.” (2 Thess. iii, 10) 

“Consider what iniquity deserves, if uselessness alone is sufficient 
to cause damnation.” (S. Bern.) 

“Man is born to labor and the bird to fly.” (Job v, 7) 

3. On the admission of slothful persons 

Question a dying man. The judgment formed at the moment of 
death is sounder than that formed during life. What regrets will he 
not express for having employed his time badly, for not having oc¬ 
cupied himself with the work of his salvation! 

“Therefore we have erred in the way of truth. . . . We wearied 
ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction, and have walked 
through hard ways, but the way of the Lord we have not known.” 
(Wis. v, 6, 7) 

“They have woven the webs of spiders . . . Their webs shall not 
be for clothing, nor shall they cover themselves with their works; their 
works are unprofitable works, and the work of iniquity is in their 
hands.” (Is. lix, 5, 6) 

“Man does not spend his time profitably in this world unless he so 
spends it as to gain merit for eternity.” (S. Aug.) 

“Decline from evil [but that is not enough] and do good.” (Ps. 
xxxvi, 27) 


NEGLECTING THE WORK OF SALVATION 581 

“Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully [i. e., 
negligently]. (Jer. xlviii, 10) 

“Because thou art lukewarm I will begin to vomit thee out of My 
mouth.” (Apoc. iii, 16) 

“Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good 
gift overpass thee.” (Eccli. xiv, 14) 

“[Work] while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work.” 
(John ix, 4) 

“The time is short.” (1 Cor. vii, 29) 

“Therefore, while we have time, let us work good.” (Gal. vi, 10) 

“Every tree, therefore, that doth not yield good fruit shall be cut 
down and cast into the fire.” (Matth. iii, 10) 

“Go you also into my vineyard . . . Call the laborers and pay them 
their hire.” (Matth. xx, 4, 8) 

“Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I 
sow not . . . Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it 
to him that hath ten talents.” (Matth. xxv, 26, 28) 

“In carefulness [be] not slothful. In spirit fervent. Serving the 
Lord.” (Rom. xii, 11) 

“And you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.” (1 Pet. 

v, 4) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Bodily Sloth . 

Obligation of working imposed on man: “With labor and toil thou 
shalt eat,” etc. (Gen. iii, 17). Even if we had not been expressly 
commanded to work, the advantages of labor and the dangers and re¬ 
sults of idleness, would be motives sufficiently strong to induce us to 
undertake some serious and regular employment. 

2. Physical advantages of work. 

Reasonable work contributes to the health of the body ... it gives 
relish to the innocent pleasures that follow it, it removes the occasion 
of a thousand superfluous expenses, it prevents want. 

3. Spiritual advantages. 

It removes temptations, and causes us to avoid a multitude of faults. 

4. Dangers of idleness. 

Idleness renders man incapable of fulfilling his duties to society 



SLOTH 


582 

... It is the source of lying, ... of sinful stories . * . of immoral¬ 
ity .. . It causes people to neglect their religious duties. 

II 

1. Spiritual Sloth. 

Its principal effects are: tepidity, cowardice, carelessness in the ob¬ 
servance of the commandments and in the service of God, sometimes 
even a sort of despair; finally, enmity; the malice of the lazy against 
those who try to rouse them to work and do violence to their sloth¬ 
ful inclinations: “The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven 
men that speak sentences.” (Prov. xxvi, 16) 

2. Remedies. 

i°. To think how short life is; 

2 0 . To consider that the more a man neglects his duties the more 
difficulty he has in fulfilling them; 

3°. Not to be influenced by the excuses which idleness suggests, but 
to obey promptly: “Here I am, for thou didst call me.” (1 Kings, 
i“. 9 ) 

4°. Frequently to recall to mind the evils produced by idleness. 


XCVI 


HUMILITY 

“He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke xviii, 14) 

To be great in the eyes of men it is necessary to do great things, 
for men judge men only by the fame of their deeds. But God judges 
differently. A man is great before Him only in proportion as he 
humbles himself. Let us, then, embrace humility, that virtue so pleas¬ 
ing to God and so advantageous to men. Consider: I. The motives 
of humility; II. the practice of humility. 


I. MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 

Humility is a virtue which fills man with a low opinion of himself, 
makes him love humiliation, and suffer contempt with joy, or at least 
with patience. But there is nothing more proper and at the same time 
more beneficial for a man than to despise himself and suffer contempt. 

1. There is nothing more proper, i°. whether he considers what he 
is as a man, or 2°. what he is as a sinner; or 3 0 . as a Christian. 

2. There is nothing more beneficial on account of the great ad¬ 
vantages which accompany humility. Such are the motives— 

i°. Whether he considers what he is as a man 
“What is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man 
that thou visitest him?” (Ps. viii, 5) 

What is man during the course of his life? Subject to infirmities, 
his body subject to the corruption of the grave ... 

“Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 
miseries.” (Job xiv, 1) 

“Why is earth and ashes proud?” (Eccli. x, 9) 

Acknowledge with David that you are nothing in the presence of 
Almighty God: 

“My substance is as nothing before Thee.” (Ps. xxxviii, 6) 

“But if Thou turnest away Thy face, they shall be troubled; Thou 
shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to 
their dust.” (Ps. ciii, 29) 


583 


5^4 


HUMILITY 


“If any man thinketh himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, 
he deceiveth himself.” (Gal. vi, 3) 

“This is the whole science of man, to know that of himself he is 
nothing, and that whatever is from God is on account of God.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“I am a worm and no man: the reproach of men and the outcast of 
the people.” (Ps. xxi, 7) 

“Great is the power of God alone, and He is honored by the hum¬ 
ble.” (Eccli. iii, 21) 


2 0 . As a sinner 

“Behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother 
conceive me.” (Ps. 1, 7) 

We are born “children of wrath.” We have been ransomed by the 
mercy of the Redeemer; but we are constantly exposed to the danger 
of again falling into disgrace with God, because of ignorance and con¬ 
cupiscence, the sad effects of the sin of our first parents. How many 
times have we not actually fallen? How many times have we not 
rendered ourselves deserving of the pains of hell! Ah! what pride 
can hold out against such a thought? 

Man has of himself only sin and deceit. 

“The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things, and 
thou shalt find grace before God.” (Eccli. iii, 20) 

“Be first displeased with what you are, so that you may be what you 
are not.” (S. Aug.) 


3 0 . As a Christian 

A Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. But what is the great 
maxim of Christ? 

“Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matth. 
xi, 29) 

“If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all.” (Mark 
ix, 34) 

“Whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minis¬ 
ter.” (Matth. xx, 26) 

“Amen, I say to you, unless you be converted and become as little 
children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matth. 
xviii, 3) 

But the example of our loving Saviour, even more than His words, 
preaches to us this virtue of humility: 

“He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.” (Phil, ii, 7) 

“He endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb. xii, 2) 


ADVANTAGES OF HUMILITY 585 

If Christ so humbled Himself, can we be His disciples when we 
seek glory and honor? 

“The humility of Christ is the remedy for the pride of man.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Be humble on account of yourself, because God was pleased to be 
humble for your sake, not for His own.” (S. Aug.) 

“The compendium of all Christian philosophy is this, that we should 
strive to imitate our Leader, Jesus Christ, by true humility.” (Bios.) 

II. ADVANTAGES OF HUMILITY 

What advantages does not humility procure for us? Advantages, 
i°. in relation to God, 2 0 . in relation to ourselves, 3 0 . in relation to 
our neighbor. Thus we can say of humility as of wisdom: 

“All good things come to me together with her.” (Wis. vii, 8) 

i°. Advantages in relation to God, by the abundant graces which 
He bestows on the humble. 

“To the humble He giveth grace.” (1 Pet. v, 5) 

“Thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes 
of the proud.” (Ps. xvii, 28) 

“He hath regarded the humility of His hand-maid.” (Luke i, 48) 

“The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the 
clouds; . . . and he will not depart till the Most High behold.” 
(Eccli. xxxv, 21) 

“Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that 
He may exalt you in the time of visitation.” (1 Pet. v, 6) 

“Brethren, behold a great miracle: God is exalted; you exalt your¬ 
self, and He departs from you, you humble yourself, and He comes 
down to you.” (S. Aug.) 

“I know not how it is that the Divinity is accustomed to approach 
humility in a more familiar way. ... He who is vile in his own eyes 
is dear to God.” (S. Bern.) 

2 0 . Advantages on our own part. Humility becomes in us a fruit¬ 
ful source of merit and virtues. Are we in sin? It obtains our 
pardon. 

“This man [the publican] went down into his house justified.” 
(Luke xviii, 14) 

Are we in a state of grace? We have need of more grace to sus¬ 
tain us; and it is humility that will bring this grace down to us. 

“It deserves to have graces given to it; it preserves those received, 
it makes use of those preserved.” (S. Bern.) 

Humility is the companion of all virtues; it strengthens and makes 
them perfect. 


HUMILITY 


586 

“Humility is the mother of wisdom. What then is the chief virtue? 
Humility certainly.” (S. Jerome) 

“The humble man builds on a rock; the proud builds on sand.” 
(Rich, of S. Victor) 

Let us, therefore, practise humility in all things. This should be so 
much easier to us, since we have in ourselves so many subjects of 
humiliation. 

“Thy humiliation shall be in the midst of thee.” (Mich, vi, 14) 

By the salutary confusion with which it fills us humility makes even 
our faults serve to our sanctification. 

“Humility in evil deeds is more pleasing to God than pride in good 
acts.” (S. Aug.) 

“Where humility is, there also is wisdom.” (Prov. xi, 2) 

“Because they are humbled, I will not destroy them.” (2 Paral. 
xii, 7) 

“We cried to the Lord God of our fathers: who heard us and looked 
down upon our affliction.” (Deut. xxvi, 7) 

“You wish to be great, begin by being very little; you are thinking 
of erecting a large and lofty building, think first of the foundation of 
humility; and the weightier and more massive the building one wishes 
to erect, the more deeply does one dig the foundation.” (S. Aug.) 

“Humility is the mother of all virtues.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Humility is the most secure treasury of all virtues.” (S. Basil) 

“What is there more valuable or more precious than humility, by 
which the kingdom of Heaven is certainly purchased and divine grace 
acquired?” (S. Bern.) 

3°. Advantages on the part of our neighbor: by the peace which 
it maintains, by the esteem and the honor that are rendered to the 
virtue of humility. 

“Whence are wars and contentions among us? Are they not hence? 
from your concupiscences . . . you covet . . . you contend and war.” 
(Jas. iv, r, 2) 

It matters little to the humble Christian whether he is esteemed or 
despised: he is always the same, he possesses his soul in peace. 

“That is true humility by which one thinks little of oneself, and 
praises the good qualities of another without envy or jealousy.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Human society is bound together and the divine clemency won, 
by humility.” (S. Ambr.) 

“By humbling himself for his faults, a man readily pacifies and 
soothes those that are vexed with him. The humble man remains in 
unshaken peace, even when shame comes upon him, because he leans 
on God and not on man.” ( Imit ., B. ii, c. 2) 


PRACTICE OF HUMILITY 


587 

“Always seek the lowest place, and to be beneath every one 
else. . . . Behold, the man that does these things enters within the 
borders of peace and rest.” ( Imit B. iii, c 23) 


III. PRACTICE OF HUMILITY 

Howsoever pressing may *be the motives that urge us to prac¬ 
tise humility, this virtue is rare. A holy Father says: “Few are 
chosen because few are humble.” There are many who think they 
are humble; but most of them are content with an apparent hu¬ 
mility. 

“Many strive after the shadow of humility; few endeavour to grasp 
the reality.” (S. Bern.) 

They cease to be humble the moment they suffer any humiliation. 
Their humility then is really only a refinement of pride. 

Humility should be sincere and solid. i°. Sincere humility fills a 
man with a low opinion of himself; 2 0 . solid humility enables him to 
suffer contempt courageously. 

i°. Sincere humility should be in the heart and spring from it. 

“Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matth. 
xi, 29) 

To have this humility, we must first know ourselves. Let us ac¬ 
knowledge before God all that passes in our hearts, what our faults 
are, how great is our misery, and the number of sins of which we have 
been guilty. 

“Thou art miserable, and poor, and naked.” (Apoc. iii, 17) 

“Humility is a virtue by which any one, from a true knowledge of 
himself, becomes vile in his own eyes.” (S. Bern.) 

If you possess some virtues, compare them with the heroic actions 
of the saints, and you will discover great subjects of humiliation. You 
will not find much pleasure in the praise bestowed on you. 

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to Thy name give glory.” (Ps. 
cxiii, 1) 

If, in order to be truly humble, it would be sufficient to know what 
we are, or even to have a low opinion of ourselves, humility would 
not be so rare; but that is only the first degree of humility. We should 
force ourselves to be quite content that others should know us such 
as we are, without faults and imperfections,—provided, however, that 
we are not a subject of scandal to them. 

“When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place.” 
(Luke xiv, 8) 

“If you ask: What holds the first place in the religion and teach¬ 
ing of Christ? I will answer: Humility holds the first place. What 


588 HUMILITY 

holds the second? Humility. What the third? Humility.” (S. 
Aug.) 

2. Humility should he solid, so as to enable us to suffer with resig¬ 
nation the contempt of all. 

“[But] humility is honored as a rare virtue.” (S. Bern.) 

Honors are often the fatal rock on which humility is wrecked. 

“He who is truly great, neither feels nor says anything great of him¬ 
self, but considers himself to be the last of all.” (S. Chrys.) 

Those who are not offended or irritated at the contempt of others, 
but bear it patiently, possess solid humility. Even that, however, is 
not the most perfect humility. What humility is most perfect, then? 
It is that which not only bears contempt with patience, but even loves 
it and looks for it. 

“We glory in tribulations.” (Rom. v, 3) 

“I will glory of the things that concern my infirmity.” (2 Cor. 
xi, 3°) 

“Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

“I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an 
apostle.” (1 Cor. xv, 9) 

“We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all 
even until now.” (1 Cor. iv, 13) 

“I please myself in reproaches, in persecutions for Christ.” (2 
Cor. xii, 10) 

“They went from the presence of the council rejoicing that they 
were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.” 
(Acts v, 41) 

Ah! how rare it is to find humble men of this character in our day! 
The greater number are offended and irritated at the slightest con¬ 
tempt. 

Let us exercise ourselves unceasingly in the practice of humility, 
and let us earnestly beg this virtue from the Giver of every good and 
perfect gift. 

“Do ye all insinuate humility one into another.” (1 Pet. v, 5) 

“Love to be unknown, and to be esteemed as nothing.” ( Imit B. i, 
c. 2) 

“I will be little in my own eyes.” (2 Kings vi, 22) 

“He will save the humble of spirit.” (Ps. xxxiii, 19) 

“Glory shall uphold the humble of spirit.” (Prov. xxix, 23) 

“Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” 
(Jas. iv, 10) 



PRACTICE OF HUMILITY 


589 


Divisions 

I 

1. Humility is an absolutely necessary virtue. The words of Christ 
are a sufficient proof of this: 

‘‘Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matth. xviii, 3) 

The necessity of this virtue is further proved by the following 
considerations: 

i°. It is humility that obtains the other virtues: “It deserves to 
have them given to it.” 

2°. It is humility that preserves them: “It preserves them when 
received.” “[But] pride is a worm that gnaws at virtues.” (S. Basil) 

3 0 . It is humility alone that can make virtues perfect: “It perfects 
them when preserved.” (S. Bern.) 

2. To excite ourselves to the practice of humility, let us consider, 

i°. The grandeur of God; 

2 0 . The humiliation of Jesus Christ; 

3 0 . Our own misery. 


II 

1. Importance and necessity of humility. 
i°. It enables us to acquire the other virtues; 

2°. To preserve them; 

3 0 . To make them perfect; 

4°. To receive the reward bestowed on them. 

2. Means of recognizing true humility and of distinguishing it from 

false 

i°. A respectful fear for all that comes to us from God; 

2 0 . Knowledge of ourselves; 

3 0 . Love of humiliation. 


Ill 

The character of the truly humble man: 

1. He places himself above all the empty praises of flattery; 

2. He bears with courage and tranquillity of soul the injuries and 
calumnies of which he may be the object; 

3. He practises resignation and patience when the reproaches ad¬ 
dressed to him are true and merited. 


XCVII 


MEEKNESS 

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.” (Matth. v, 4) 

Just as anger disturbs the repose of the soul, so meekness preserves 
it in peace. In order to cure the vices that are the diseases of the 
soul, we must practise the opposite virtues. Anger is a fire that causes 
great damage to the soul; to this fire we must oppose meekness as a 
tempering dew. “Shall not the dew assuage the heat?” (Eccli. xviii, 
6). Consider: I. What are the advantages of meekness? II. What 
is meant by the practice of this virtue? 


I. THE ADVANTAGES OF MEEKNESS 

We can say of meekness what Solomon says of wisdom: “Now all 
good things come to me together with her, and innumerable riches 
through her hands.” (Wis. vii, 11) 

Meekness procures for us, (1) the grace of God; (2) the friendship 
of our neighbor; (3) mastery over ourselves. 

1. Meekness procures for us the grace of God 

By meekness we possess the heart of God, as a child possesses that 
of his father. 

“Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children 
of God.” (Matth. v, 9) 

“To the meek He will give grace.” (Prov. iii, 34) 

Meekness is a virtue that gives man a special character of resem¬ 
blance to God. The most consoling idea which we can form of God 
is that of the goodness and kindness which He shows towards man. It 
is especially by these features of forbearance and goodness that He 
makes known His power. 

“O God, who dost manifest Thy power especially by sparing and 
showing mercy.” (Office of the Church.) 

“Thou judgest with tranquillity and with great favor disposest of 
us.” (Wis. xii, 18) 

The man who feels kindly towards his brethren, who freely and fully 
pardons injuries, becomes like to God, as far as he can be so. It 

590 


PROCURES FOR US THE GRACE OF GOD 


59i 

can be said, therefore, that meekness is one of the most certain marks 
of predestination. 

“He will guide the mild in judgment: He will teach the meek His 
ways.” (Ps. xxiv, 9) 

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.” (Matth. 

y , 4) 

“The meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of 
peace.” (Ps. xxxvi, 11) 

What is this land? It is the blessed land of the living, where no 
one ever dies. Those who are found conformable to the image of 
Jesus Christ shall possess that land. For 

“Those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be made con¬ 
formable to the image of His Son.” (Rom. viii, 29) 

Meekness was the special characteristic of the Son of God. 

“He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as 
a lamb before His shearer.” (Is. liii, 7) 

“But Jesus held His peace.” (Matth. xxvi, 63) 

“I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim.” (Jer. xi, 19) 
“Thy King cometh to thee, meek.” (Matth. xxi, 5) 

“Nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to Thee 
[O, Lord], but the prayer of the humble and meek has always pleased 
Thee.” (Judith ix, 16) 

“Meekness preserves the image of God, but anger destroys it.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Nothing makes a man so like to God as meekness.” (S. Chrys.) 
“By meekness our King conquered the devil. The one was furious, 
the other suffered. He who was furious was conquered, the Sufferer 
became the Victor.” (S. Aug.) 

2. By meekness we gain the friendship of our neighbor 

Obedience can be enforced by the exercise of authority, but kindness 
alone can win hearts. 

“A sweet word multiplieth friends, and appeaseth enemies, and a 
gracious tongue in a good man aboundeth.” (Eccli. vi, 5) 

Who, in fact, can refrain from loving a kind man, who finds his 
pleasure in obliging every one, and who is always mild-tempered ? 
But kindness has the power not only of making friends, but also of 
reconciling enemies. How often have we not seen the most stubborn 
anger disarmed by meekness? A man armed with this virtue knows 
so well how to manage different dispositions, how to insinuate himself 
into hearts, that he succeeds in reconciling those who were most di¬ 
vided. He is a true apostle who procures the glory of God and the 
salvation of souls. 


592 


MEEKNESS 


“The servant of the Lord must not wrangle; but be mild towards 
all men, apt to teach, patient.” (2 Tim. ii, 24) 

“My son, do thy works in meekness, and thou shalt be beloved above 
the glory of men.” (Eccli. iii, 19) 

“It is better to be humbled with the meek, than to divide spoils with 
the proud.” (Prov. xvi, 19) 

3. Meekness renders us masters of ourselves 

If anger transports man outside of himself, mildness keeps him within 
the bounds of reason, makes him master of all the movements of his 
heart, and causes him to enjoy perfect tranquillity. Such is, in this 
life, the reward of meekness; and in this it differs from many other 
virtues which will have their recompense only in the life to come. 
Ah! what great advantages does not that interior peace which accom¬ 
panies meekness gain for man! It raises him above all reverses of 
fortune, above all persecutions of his enemies; it renders him superior 
to insults, injuries, and calumnies. 

“Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart: and you 
shall find rest to your souls.” (Matth. xi, 29) 

“My son, keep thy soul in meekness.” (Eccli. x, 31) 

“His place is in peace.” (Ps. lxxv, 3) 

“My peace is with the humble and meek of heart.” ( Imit B. iii, 

c. 35) 

“The peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” (Phil, 
iv, 7) 

II. PRACTICE OF MEEKNESS 

It is one thing to be meek by temperament, it is quite another thing 
to possess meekness as a virtue. Those who are naturally mild have 
to do less violence to themselves in order to overcome their anger, than 
those who are of a hasty temper;—but this meekness may degenerate 
into cowardice if it is not sustained by strength and regulated by pru¬ 
dence. 

True mildness does not consist in certain decorous manners, in cer¬ 
tain affected expressions; many people bestow marks of friendship 
on those who are the objects of their dislike. 

“An enemy is known by his lips, when in his heart he entertaineth 
deceit. When he shall speak low trust him not; because there are 
seven mischiefs in his heart. He that covereth hatred deceitfully, his 
malice shall be laid open in the public assembly.” (Prov. xxvi, 24-26) 

Meekness dwells chiefly in the heart, and the peculiarity of this vir¬ 
tue, says S. Augustine, is (1) to repress or restrain all movements of 
anger in us, and (2) to give place to the anger of others. Here we 
have in a few words its character and its practice. 


PRACTICE OF MEEKNESS 


593 


i. To repress or restrain all feelings of anger 

If the anger which breaks out in us is culpable, meekness represses 
its movements. 

Yes, if you have the virtue of meekness you will be careful to check 
every movement of anger which urges you to take revenge, to injure 
your neighbor. You will stifle even the least feeling of bitterness 
which an injury done to you may cause to spring up in your heart. 

“Be ye kind one to another, merciful, forgiving one another, even 
as God hath forgiven you in Christ.” (Ephes. iv, 32) 

“In your patience you shall possess your souls.” (Luke xxi, 19) 

If the anger is praiseworthy and just, mildness directs it according 
to the rules of prudence and charity. Far from us be the sinful 
mildness which would not be touched by an offence against God, which 
would suffer everything, which would not correct the sinner, through 
fear of incurring his displeasure. Because 

“If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” 
(Gal. i, 10) 

Firmness, then, is necessary, anger is necessary, but anger ruled by 
mildness, anger that strives to destroy sin without wishing to destroy 
the sinner. 

“Be ye angry and sin not.” (Ps. iv, 5) 

“If a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct 
such a one in the spirit of meekness.” (Gal. vi, 1) 

“He is not angry with his brother who is angry with the sin of his 
brother. He, therefore, who is angry, not with the sin, but with his 
brother, is angry without cause.” (S. Aug.) 

“Not to be angry when we should be, is a sin: but to be angry 
more than is necessary is to add sin to sin.” (S. Bern.) 

2. Finally mildness makes us yield to the anger of others, and 
urges us to employ suitable means to calm it 

It is easy to be gentle and obliging towards those who are kind and 
gentle towards us; it is easy to have patience when no one contradicts. 
“Do not the heathens do this?” (Matth. v, 47 ). But it is not easy 
to give way to the anger of others, to be always at peace with those 
who love nothing but strife. 

“It is not a great thing to live with them that are good and meek, 
for this is naturally pleasing to all. And every one lives willingly in 
peace and loves those best who agree with him. But to be able to 
live peaceably with the obstinate and perverse or disorderly is a great 
grace.” (Imit., B. ii, c. 3) 

An all-pervading meekness would be necessary for that, so as to 
suffer at all times and patiently endure all classes of people; a con- 


594 


MEEKNESS 


stant meekness, so as not to be discouraged by the rude trials to which 
it is exposed. Such, however, Christian meekness ought to be: it is 
in yielding rather than in combating that it gains hearts. 

“With them that hated peace I was peaceable.” (Ps. cxix, 7) 

“I was troubled and I spoke not.” (Ps. lxxvi, 5) 

“Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.” (Rom. 
xii, 21) 

“Christ, when He was reviled, did not revile.” (1 Pet. ii, 23) 

“We are blasphemed, and we entreat.” (1 Cor. iv, 13) 

“Patience hath a perfect work.” (Jas. i, 4) 

“A passionate man stirreth up strifes: he that is patient appeaseth 
those that are stirred up.” (Prov. xv, 18) 

“A mild answer breaketh wrath: but a harsh word stirreth up fury.” 
(Prov. xv, 1) 

“Blessed be thou [said David to Abigail], who hast kept me to-day 
from coming to blood.” (1 Kings xxv, 33) 

“Shewing all mildness towards all men.” (Tit. iii, 2) 

“I beseech you by the mildness and modesty of Christ.” (2 Cor. x, 1) 
“To the evil of anger we oppose the most sweet virtue of patience.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Anger is overcome by mildness, fury is extinguished by gentle¬ 
ness.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Let all bitterness and anger, and indignation and clamor, and blas¬ 
phemy be put away from you.” (Ephes. iv, 31) 

“Do good to them that hate you.” (Matth. v, 44) 

“A good peaceable man turns all things to good. . . . See how far 
thou art yet from true charity and humility, which knows not how to 
be angry with any one, or to be indignant save against self.” (Imit 
B. ii, c. 3) 

“In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and re¬ 
joice.” (Ps. xxxiii, 3) 

“The earth trembled and was still when God arose in judgment, to 
save all the meek of the earth.” (Ps. lxxv, 9, 10) 

“The Lord lifteth up the meek.” (Ps. cxlvi, 6) 

“And He will exalt the meek unto salvation.” (Ps. cxlix, 4) 

“Seek the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, you that have wrought 
His judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may 
be hid in the day of the Lord’s indignation.” (Sophon ii, 3) 


Divisions 

I 

There is nothing more injurious to society and to the intercourse of 



PRACTICE OF MEEKNESS 595 

life than anger. This is why the Saviour of the world has so strongly 
recommended meekness to us, and proposed it to us as a beatitude in 
this life, because it checks all excess of anger, and establishes good 
order and tranquillity everywhere. 


II 

1. Merit of meekness . 

It consists in this, that meekness requires us to gain over ourselves 
a victory, 

i°. the most heroic, 

2°. the most lasting. 

2. Fruits of meekness. 

i°. Interior peace with ourselves, 

2°. Exterior peace with our neighbors. 

See how this virtue is rewarded even in the present life. 


XCVIII 


TEMPERANCE 

“Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” (Gal. 
v, 16) 

The flesh has desires that are in opposition to the spirit and are the 
cause of unceasing warfare between the two. But the works, or 
rather the fruits, of the spirit,—namely, charity, patience, chastity, 
etc.—will give you the victory over your enemies in these combats. 
If you wish then to triumph over the attacks of the impure spirit, love 
chastity. If you would avoid intemperance, love temperance, be mod¬ 
erate at your meals. Follow the impulse of the spirit: “Walk in the 
spirit.” To encourage you to practise temperance I will show you: 
I. In what it consists; II. what are its advantages. 

I. IN WHAT TEMPERANCE CONSISTS 

It is the characteristic of virtues to combat the vices opposed to them. 

Intemperance consists chiefly in the immoderate use of things des¬ 
tined for the nourishment of the body, either in quantity, or quality, or 
in the manner in which such things are taken. 

Temperance, which is the opposite of intemperance, should, there¬ 
fore, consist in moderating: (i) the quantity, by restricting our nour¬ 

ishment to what is necessary; (2) the quality, taking only what is not 
forbidden; (3) the manner, allowing ourselves to regard food as a 
necessary help; (4) it also teaches us often to do without some por¬ 
tion of that which is permitted to us, so as not to expose ourselves to 
the danger of passing the prescribed limits. 

1. It can be easily shown that all excess in quantity is unworthy, not 
only of a Christian, but of a rational being. It is certain that all ex¬ 
cess which seriously injures the health and disturbs the reason of him 
who is guilty of it, is a grievous sin. However, in judging of this 
excess, the same rule must not be applied to all classes of people: a 
certain quantity may be a grave excess for one person without being 
so for another. 

Give to nature only what is necessary: that is the first rule which 
every man should follow. How did the first Christians live? 

“We encourage gatherings that are both virtuous and temperate; 

596 


IN WHAT IT CONSISTS 


597 


for we neither indulge in feasting nor prolong the banquet, but we 
temper gaiety by gravity, by a pure speech, by a purer body.” (Minut. 
Felix.) 

Why does not the same temperance reign among us? If we cur¬ 
tailed the superfluous in order to give to charity, so many unhappy 
people would not be seen perishing of hunger and want. If Lazarus 
had received some of what was superfluous on the rich man’s table! 

“The just eateth and filleth his soul; but the belly of the wicked is 
never to be filled.” (Prov. xiii, 25) 

“Use as a frugal man the things that are set before thee; lest if thou 
eatest much, thou be hated.” (Eccli. xxxi, 19) 

“Whatever exceeds the necessary quantity in food is not nourishment, 
but disease; satiety is the source of all evils.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Man ... is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to 
them.” (Ps. xlviii, 13) 

“Our body is a beast; it very often carries us away and strives to 
turn us off the road; let us therefore hold this beast in check by 
fasts, let us withhold fodder from it when it is furious, and tame by 
hunger what we cannot subdue by the bit.” (S. Aug.) 

“There is no creature deserving of blame, the inordinate voracity of 
man is alone culpable.” (Id.) 

“Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense, 
and a stumbling-block.” (Ps. lxviii, 23) 

2. But it is not enough to be temperate in the quantity of food, we 
must observe temperance in the quality also, so as not to take food the 
use of which is forbidden by the laws of the Church. And yet how 
many there are who, under plausible excuses, have no scruple in trans¬ 
gressing these venerable laws. A pretended constitutional weakness, 
the fear of an illness that will never come, the dread of what people 
will say. 

“Be not greedy in any feasting, and pour not out thyself upon any 
meat.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 32) 

“It is not becoming that a member under a thorn-crowned head 
should be fastidious.” (S. Bern.) 

3. We must seek in food only the nourishment that is necessary. 
We can, nay should, use the food that is necessary to keep up our 
health and strength; but we must not propose to ourselves the satis¬ 
fying of the appetite; we must not have in view the pleasure which 
naturally accompanies the use of food. We must not eat for the sake 
of eating, but in order to sustain our powers and employ them in the 
service of God. 

“Meat for the belly, and the belly for the meats; but God shall 
destroy both it and them.” (1 Cor. vi, 13) 


598 


TEMPERANCE 


“They that are such serve not Christ our Lord, but their own belly. 
(Rom. xvi, 18) 

“Many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you 
weeping) that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is 
destruction; whose God is their belly; and whose glory is in their 
shame.” (Phil, iii, 18, 19) 

“Satisfaction excuses itself under the plea of necessity, so that even 
a perfect man hardly perceives it.” (S. Greg.) 

“The vice is in the appetite, not in the food; for which reason we 
very often use the richer food without any fault, and sin in taking 
the poorer food.” (Id.) 

“What is sufficient for health will not satisfy pleasure.” (S. Aug.) 

“The body should be so far chastised by fasting that it may under¬ 
stand that food is granted to it not so much for pleasure, as because 
of the burden imposed on it.” (Cassian) 

“But, alas! Free from other temptations, I am fighting against the 
concupiscence of eating and drinking. Who is there that is not car¬ 
ried a little beyond the bounds of necessity? Whoever he is, he is 
noble; let him magnify Your name, [O Lord] ; but I am not he, be¬ 
cause I am a sinful man.” (S. Aug.) 

4. We must also, in a spirit of penance, often retrench something 
of what we can take without passing beyond the limits of temperance. 
I say, in a spirit of penance, and not through avarice, which would 
cause us to refuse to ourselves and to others even the nourishment 
that has been prescribed. That would not be the temperance which 
Christ recommends to us. 

“Fasting is not a banking business, that we may make money by 
not eating: but that a poor man may eat in your place what you were 
about to eat; and that a twofold good may be done to you, not only 
that you are fasting, but also that another may not be hungry.” (S. 
Greg. Nys.) 

“Give to a hungry man what you refuse to your stomach.” (Id.) 

Christian temperance teaches us to be satisfied with what is neces¬ 
sary, to use it without affection, even to deprive ourselves from time 
to time, in a spirit of mortification, of something that is permitted to 
us, in order to avoid the danger of falling into excess. Of how many 
things do not people deprive themselves to recover their health? 

Why would you not do for your soul something that is less difficult 
than what some do for the health of the body? Remember the words 
of S. Paul: 

“The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost. . . . Destroy not the work of God for 
meat.” (Rom. xiv, 17, 20) 


ADVANTAGES OF TEMPERANCE 


599 

They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if they 
be not filled.” (Ps. lviii, 16) 

“Young men in like manner exhort that they be sober.” (Tit. 
ii, 6) 

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do; do all to the 
glory of God.” (i Cor. x, 31) 

“If you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if by the spirit 
you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.” (Rom. viii, 13) 


II. ADVANTAGES OF TEMPERANCE 

1. It procures many temporal advantages in the present life; 2. It 
is still more advantageous for the future life, and we can say of it 
what S. Paul says of godliness: ‘fit is profitable to all things.” (1 
Tim. iv, 8) 

1. If intemperance is the ruin of the health and of the reason, it can 
he said that temperance is the faithful guardian of both the one and the 
other. The proof of this truth is based on experience. 

i°. Temperance procures and preserves health. Do we not see men 
who, with a delicate constitution, grow old in the practice of penance, 
while others, though more robust, perish prematurely in the lap of 
luxury ? 

“In many meats there will be sickness, and greediness will turn 
to choler. By surfeiting many have perished: but he that is tem¬ 
perate, shall prolong life.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 33, 34) 

“Sober drinking is health to soul and body.” (Eccli. xxxi, 37) 

“Gluttony kills very many, temperance kills none; innumerable peo¬ 
ple have been injured by drunkenness, no one has been injured by 
temperance; very many have died while feasting and have covered the 
table with their blood.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Gluttony kills more than the sword.” 

2 0 . Temperance preserves man's reason in that state of liberty which 
makes him always master of himself. His mind, disengaged from mat¬ 
ter, is capable of the most serious application. A sober and temperate 
man is accessible at all times and to every one, affable to all, he is 
liked by every one. 

“I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I 
might turn my mind to wisdom and might avoid folly.” (Eccli. ii, 3) 

“Wisdom is not found in the land of them that live in delights.” 
(Job xxxviii, 13) 

“These have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness 
have erred.” (Is. xxviii, 7) 

“Gluttony is to be avoided as the vilest of all conditions; for nothing 


6 oo 


TEMPERANCE 


so darkens the mind as a stomach filled to repletion.” (S. Jerome) 

“There is nothing more pernicious, more disgraceful, than gluttony; 
it renders the intellect dull and stupid, and the mind carnal; it blinds 
the understanding, and does not permit it to examine anything,—when 
drunkenness rules, reason is banished, the understanding is impaired, 
advice is unheeded, and the judgment is destroyed.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. Temperance is especially advantageous for the future life. The 
present life should be regarded as one of warfare. 

“The life of man upon earth is a warfare.” (Job vii, i) 

In order to attain to the happiness of the future life, we have 
enemies to fight against; enemies within ourselves: our passions; ene¬ 
mies without: the world and the devil. But temperance supplies us 
with weapons to overcome them all. 

1 °. Enemies within ourselves. 

S. Paul compares the spiritual warfare to those combats waged in 
the public games by athletes who are striving for the prize. This 
great saint reduced his body to subjection. Our body, in fact, is the 
greatest enemy we have to contend with in the fight for Heaven. Let 
us, then, make use of the same weapons to conquer the same enemies. 

“Every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from 
all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown: 
but we an incorruptible one. I therefore so run, not as at an uncer¬ 
tainty; I so fight, not as one beating the air: but I chastise my body, 
and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to 
others, I myself should become a cast-away.” (i Cor. ix, 25-27) 

“As all carnal desires are restrained by abstinence, so all virtues of 
the soul are destroyed by the vice of gluttony.” (S. Isid.) 

2°. Enemies outside ourselves. 

Temperance or abstinence is also necessary if we are to be victorious 
in the fight against the enemies from without, who are the world, the 
flesh, and the devil. If you would be on your guard against a raging 
lion, 

“Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring 
lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist ye strong 
in faith: knowing that the same affliction befalls your brethren who 
are in the world.” (1 Pet. v, 8, 9) 

How, in fact, will you be able to resist certain violent temptations 
which the devil excites in you, if you do not observe temperance, if 
you give to your body all that it demands? In vain will you pray to 
God to drive away the devil. Your prayers will not be efficacious be¬ 
cause they are not accompanied by abstinence and mortification. 

“This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting.” 
(Mark ix, 28) 


ADVANTAGES OF TEMPERANCE 


601 


To prayer, then, we must join mortification, abstinence, and fasting. 
That is the shield used by the saints to ward off the arrows of the 
enemy. 

“Believe me, who have had experience, Satan greatly fears the 
vigils, prayers, and fasts of those who lead good lives.” (S. Anton.) 

When you begin to practise temperance, you will very soon possess 
other virtues: you will have love for God, charity and justice towards 
your neighbor, because S. Paul makes all these virtues go together. 

“We should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world.” 
(Tit. ii, 12) 

“No one can attain to the perfection of virtue unless he has first 
subdued the voracity of the stomach.” (S. Isid.) 

It is evident that if we require the aid of abstinence to resist the 
darts of Satan, we have not less need of it to overcome the efforts 
which worldlings, who are his agents, make to effect our ruin. Let 
us be on our guard against all those of whom the Apostle S. Jude has 
said: 

“These are spots in their banquets, feasting together without fear, 
feeding themselves.” (Jude, 12) 


Divisions 

I 

The Saviour of the world, in nourishing the people, teaches us the 
temperance we should observe in our food. 1. Christ teaches us to 
cut off from the nourishment of the body whatever is unnecessary and 
immoderate, namely: i°. eagerness for food, 2°. excess, 3 0 . delicacy. 

i°. Eagerness, that is to say, too much attention to what concerns 
the comfort and support of the body. 

To correct this fault Christ led the people into a place that was soli¬ 
tary and destitute of everything; and the crowd allowed itself to be 
led without a murmur. But, alas! how many Christians there are 
who make a god of their body, who think of nothing else. 

2°. Excess . Nature is content with what is necessary, but luxury 
seeks for what is superfluous. Christ provided food for these four 
thousand men only when it was necessary for them. People act dif¬ 
ferently in our day. “Man is compared to brute beasts.” 

3 0 . Delicacy. Christ nourished the people with bread only. Now- 
a-days people seek the choicest meats: and yet there is nothing more 
dangerous or injurious than this daintiness. It gives strength to the 



602 TEMPERANCE 

flesh to revolt and shake off the yoke, and withdraw itself from the 
dominion of the spirit. 


II 

Jesus Christ shows us how we can make the use of bodily food 
contribute to our holiness and perfection: i°. by blessing the bread 
and giving thanks, 2°. by His adorable presence, and 3 0 . by works of 
charity. 

i°. He blessed the bread and gave thanks to His Father. It is 
indeed right that we should discharge this duty, since it is from God 
we receive our food. Is it not strange that we should enjoy the bless¬ 
ings of God without thinking of Him and thanking Him for them? 

2°. It was in the presence of Jesus Christ that the people took their 
food. God is everywhere present and sees all things; we should so 
act as never to lose sight of that divine Presence, but we should be 
particularly careful to remember the presence of God in the places and 
the company in which we most easily forget ourselves, as when at meals. 

3 0 . Christ caused what remained of the bread to be gathered up. 
Rich people should act in a similar manner, so as to bestow on the poor 
whatever is superfluous. But very many things that would help the 
needy are destroyed. Those who do this or allow it to be done, ex¬ 
pose themselves to the sad fate of the rich man in the Gospel. . . . May 
we gather from this discourse the grace to free ourselves from the 
slavery of the body. 


XCIX 


CHASTITY 

“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” (Matth. v, 8) 

Chastity is one of the most sublime, most lovable, and most perfect 
virtues of religion. 

“The ornament of all beauty, and the glory of religion.” (S. Cypr.) 

The holy Fathers in their writings never grow weary of praising its 
glory and value, of exalting its excellence, of proclaiming its preroga¬ 
tives and grandeur, and of praising it in the most glowing terms. 
Consider: I. The excellence and advantages of chastity; II. The 
necessity of this virtue; III. The practices by which we can preserve 
it. 


I. EXCELLENCE AND ADVANTAGES OF CHASTITY 

Chastity is a virtue that inspires in us a horror of all the unlawful 
pleasures of the flesh. It is a virtue so beautiful that even those who 
have not the courage to practise it, are forced to admire it. In fact, 
(i) Chastity makes us like to angels; (2) it makes us in a certain 
manner like to God, and conformable to Christ made Man. 

1. Chastity makes us like to the blessed spirits. Jesus Christ Him¬ 
self has taught us this consoling truth. 

“In the resurrection they shall neither marry, nor be married; but 
shall be as the angels of God in Heaven.” (Matth. xxii, 30) 

“You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” (Rom. viii, 9) 

“I beheld; and lo a lamb stood upon Mount Sion, and with Him an 
hundred forty-four thousand. . . . And they sang as it were a new 
canticle; . . . and no man could say the canticle but those hundred 
forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth. These are 
they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These 
follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” (Apoc. xiv, 1, 3, 4) 

“To live outside the body while in the flesh is not an earthly but a 
heavenly life.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Virginity is the straining of a corrupted body after a spiritual sub¬ 
stance.” (S. John Clymac.) 

“You [virgins] already possess in this world the glory of the resur¬ 
rection.” (S. Cypr.) 

603 


604 


CHASTITY 


“A holy and shamefaced woman is grace upon grace; and no price is 
worthy of a continent soul.” (Eccli. xxvi, 19, 20) 

“Chastity makes angels; he who has preserved it is an angel.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Let no one wonder if virgins are compared to angels, since they 
are united to the Lord of angels.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The integrity of virginity is the portion of angels, and in corrupti¬ 
ble flesh it is the imitation of perpetual incorruption.” (S. Aug.) 

“In virginity we have a model of angelic holiness.” (S. Athan.) 

But what raises beyond measure the glory of this virtue and the 
merit of those who inviolably preserve it, is that it is in some manner 
more ravishing and more glorious in us, weak mortals, than in the 
heavenly spirits. It raises man above the angels. In the angels purity 
is without combat; in man it is the fruit of his victory in war. 

“Chastity makes an angel of man.” (S. Bern.) 

“It is more meritorious to acquire angelic glory than to possess 
it. To be an angel is a mark of happiness, to be a virgin is a mark 
of virtue.” (S. Pet. Chrys.) 

“The chaste will have a most honorable and illustrious place among 
the angels.” (S. Basil) 

“O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory; for the mem¬ 
ory thereof is immortal; because it is known both with God and with 
men.” (Wis. iv, 1) 

“The victory of virgins is greater than that of the angels; for the 
angels live without the flesh, but virgins triumph in the flesh.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“What is more beautiful than chastity, which makes pure what was 
conceived of impure seed, makes a friend of an enemy, makes an angel 
of a man?” (S. Bern.) 

“Do you not see the excellence of virginity? how it so benefits man¬ 
kind that it makes those who live in the body equal to pure spirits?” 
(S. Chrys.; Office of S. Aloysius Gonzaga) 

2. What completes the most perfect praise of purity, and makes 
known to us all its value is, that preserving our bodies and souls 
free from all corruption, makes us in a certain manner like to God 
Himself, who is incorruptible. In cherishing and practising chastity, 
we become living images of Jesus Christ, who has rendered this virtue 
so beautiful for all ages. The Son of God found this virtue so full 
of beauty, so noble and perfect, that having resolved to become Man, 
He wished to choose a virgin for His mother, a virgin prophet for His 
precursor, and a virgin apostle for His beloved disciple. . . . 

“He who begins [to practise] the virtue of God will be like to God.” 
(Lact.) 


NECESSITY OF CHASTITY 


605 


“For since the Blessed Mary preserved chastity above all human 
nature, therefore she conceived Christ the Lord in her womb.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“That disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John xxi, 20) 

“But Jesus loved him because a special prerogative of chastity had 
made him worthy of greater love, since the virgin chosen by Himself 
remained a virgin for all time.” (S. Jerome) 

“The virgin [John] alone recognizes the Virgin, Christ, and says 
to Peter: It is the Lord.” (S. Jer.) 

“He left the Virgin Mother to the care of the virgin disciple.” 

(Id.) 

“Because thou hast loved chastity . . . thou shalt be blessed for 
ever.” (Judith xv, 11) 

“O Chastity! that dost bloom like a rose in the midst of the body 
and soul, and dost fill the whole house with the fragrance of thy per¬ 
fume!” (S. Ephrem) 

“He that loveth cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall 
have the king for his friend.” (Prov. xxii, 11) 

“Incorruption bringeth near to God.” (Wis. vi, 20) 

“O virginity! crown that never fadest, shrine of the Holy Spirit, 
most precious gem, found by few!” (S. Athan.) 

“A wonderful thing is virginity, which makes man very like the 
incorruptible God.” (S. Basil) 

“Our Lord came on earth through the chaste members of a virgin 
in order to show that God is the Giver of chastity.” (S. Aug.) 

“Chastity holds a glorious and illustrious place among virtues; be¬ 
cause it alone helps the pure minds of men to see God.” (S. Cypr.) 


II. NECESSITY OF CHASTITY 

Let us not be content with admiring the excellence of this virtue, 
let us remember that it is necessary for every Christian, whose body, 
by Baptism, became the temple of the living God, the dwelling place 
of the Holy Spirit. 

“Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ ? Shall 
I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of 
an harlot? God forbid. ... Or know you not that your members 
are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from 
God? For you are bought with a great price.” (1 Cor. vi, 15, 19, 20) 

“Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit 
of God dwelleth in you? But if any man violate the temple of God, 
him shall the Lord destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you 
are.” (1 Cor. iii, 16, 17) 


6 o6 


CHASTITY 


Christians are specially bound to observe chastity. It is indispen¬ 
sably necessary for salvation. The holy Scriptures establish this truth 
very clearly: 

‘‘Follow . . . holiness, without which no man shall see God.” 
(Hebr. xii, 14) 

“For know ye this and understand that no fornicator or un¬ 
clean . . . hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” 
(Eph. v, 5) 

“Do not err: Neither fornicators . . . nor adulterers nor the ef¬ 
feminate, nor liers with mankind . . . shall possess the kingdom of 
God.” (1 Cor. vi, 9, 10) 

“Without are dogs . . . and unchaste.” (Apoc. xxii, 15) 

“There shall not enter into it [the heavenly Jerusalem] anything 
defiled, or that worketh abomination.” (Apoc. xxi, 27) 

“Whatever your other virtues, good qualities, and good works may 
be, you are only ploughing the sand if you have not the robe or cinc¬ 
ture of chastity.” (S. Jerome) 

“Chastity is to be specially guarded, because if it is lost all other 
virtues are ruined.” (Id.) 

This virtue ought to embrace man’s whole being and sanctify him in 
both body and soul. He should be chaste in mind, in heart, in will; 
he should be chaste in his thoughts, in his affections, in his desires; 
he should be chaste in body: his eyes, ears, tongue, hands, all his senses, 
should bear the stamp of purity. 

“With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from 
it. . . . Let thy eyes look straight on.” (Prov. iv, 23, 25) 

“My eyes hath wasted my soul because of all the daughters of my 
city.” (Lament, iii, 51) 

“It is not becoming to look upon that which it is not lawful to 
desire.” (S. Greg.) 

“I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as 
think upon a virgin.” (Job xxxi, 1) 

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the faith¬ 
ful, in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity.” (1 
Tim. iv, 12) 

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should 
abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to 
possess his vessel in sanctification and honor: not in the passion of 
lust, like the gentiles that know not God. ... For God hath not called 
us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification.” (1 Thess. iv, 3-7) 

The sin opposed to the virtue of chastity is one of those that do not 
admit of any smallness of matter. Every sin of impurity is mortal 
when it is fully voluntary. Thus there is no vice that destroys more 


HOW TO PRESERVE IT 607 

souls. It is a sin that causes very great scandal and is the source of 
innumerable crimes. 

Not only the loss of the soul and the lowest degree of degradation, 
but also the ruin of the body, the loss of nealth, of honor, of property, 
and the downfall of families are too often the sad results of impurity. 
How then is it possible not to conceive a great horror of this vice! 
How is it possible that we do not make every effort to preserve our¬ 
selves from it! 

“Keep thyself chaste.” (1 Tim. v, 22) 


III. PRACTICES BY WHICH TO PRESERVE CHASTITY 

1. Not to trust in our own strength, but to address ourselves to God 

in prayer 

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak.” (Matth. xxvi, 41) 
“Cursed be the man that trusteth in man. . . . Blessed be the man 
that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence.” (Jer. 
xvii, 5 , 7 ) 

“I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me.” (Philip, iv, 13) 
“As I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God 
gave it, ... I went to the Lord and besought Him.” (Wis. viii, 21) 
“Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matth. 
xxvi, 41) 

“Blessed is the man that is always fearful.” (Prov. xxviii, 14) 

“A wise man feareth and declineth from evil.” (Prov. xiv, 16) 
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” (2 Cor. iv, 7) 

2. To resist this shameful vice from the very beginning, from the 

moment the first thought of it presents itself 

“Destroy the enemy while he is small.” (S. Jerome) 

“Resist the beginning. . . . We must be always on the watch, and 
especially at the beginning of a temptation.” ( Imit., B. 1, c. 13). 

“It is a more difficult thing to persevere in a life of chastity than to 
suffer martyrdom for chastity.” (Tert.) 

3 .To avoid idleness 

“Idleness hath taught much evil.” (Eccli. xxxiii, 29) 

“This was the iniquity of Sodom . . . the idleness of her.” (Ezech. 
xvi, 49) 

“Be constantly engaged in some work, so that the devil may always 
find you occupied.” (S. Jerome) 


6 o8 


CHASTITY 


4. To avoid intemperance and all kinds of excesses 

“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury.” (Eph. v, 18) 

“I will never believe that a drunkard is a chaste man.” (S. Jerome) 

5. To avoid the occasions of this sin 

They are: too familiar conversations, dangerous intimacies, etc. 

“He that loveth danger, shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“You are not stronger than David, nor wiser than Solomon. And 
if these men, who were so holy, were conquered by incautious famil¬ 
iarity with, and the pernicious blandishments of, women, what do those 
think of themselves who neither fear nor blush not only to associate 
with women not related to them, but even to remain in the same house, 
and to be always, or at least very often, present at their feasts? We 
can say of such people what the Apostle said of the widow addicted 
to voluptuous pleasure: That, though living, she was dead.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Therefore, if you would overcome impurity, fly when attacked by 
it.” (Id.) 

“It is characteristic of pure minds in a certain sense to see a fault 
where there is no fault.” (S. Greg.) 

“Are you so foolish that, whereas you began in the spirit, you would 
now be made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. iii, 3) 

“It is characteristic of virgins to tremble with fear at the approaches 
of a man, and to dread his addresses.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Virgins who are truly such, are accustomed to live in constant fear, 
and, in order to fly from what should be avoided, they tremble even at 
what is safe.” (S. Bern.) 

6. In time of temptation think on the Passion and death of lesus Christ 

“My God hangs on a gibbet, and shall I give myself up to pleasure ?” 
(S. Bern.) 

“There is no remedy so powerful, so efficacious against the heat of 
lust, as the death of my Redeemer.” (S. Aug.) 

“I have no remedy so efficacious in all things as the wounds of 
Christ. In them I sleep securely, and I awake filled with courage.” 
(Id.) 

“The fiery darts of the devil are to be extinguished by the rigor of 
fasts and vigils.” (S. Jerome) 

“In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.” 
(Eccli. vii, 40) 

“There is nothing more likely to overcome the lewdness of the flesh 
than the thought of what man will be in death.” (S. Bonav.) 



HOW TO PRESERVE IT 


609 


Division 

1. It is indispensably necessary for each one of us to keep his body 

pure 

i°. First reason: such is the will of God, who commands us to avoid 
everything that is contrary to holy purity. 

2 0 . Second reason: our vocation as Christians, because our bodies 
are consecrated to God. 

3 0 . Third reason: without this virtue we are altogether unworthy 
to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.—“Give not that which 
is holy to dogs.” (Matth. vii, 6) 

2. In what does purity consist and how is it to be preserved? 

There are two kinds of purity, that of the body and that of the soul. 
There are also conjugal purity, virginal purity, and that which is pe¬ 
culiar to those who were married but whose spouses are now dead. 
To preserve this purity: 

i°. Let us have recourse to Jesus Christ. He will say to us: “This 
kind [of devils] is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.” (Matth. 
xvii, 20) 

2 0 . Let us have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance. 


c 


TEMPTATIONS 

“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” 

(Matth. iv, i) 

As Christ endured all His sufferings for our sake, so He permitted 
the devil to tempt Him, in order that we might not be overcome by- 
temptations. 

“For this reason was Christ tempted, that a Christian might not be 
overcome by temptation.” (S. Aug.) 

“Had Christ not been tempted, He would not have taught us by His 
example how to resist temptation.” (Id.) 

“Christ wished to be tempted, in order that He might overcome the 
devil, and deliver him to His disciples crushed.” (S. Jerome) 

Jesus Christ is our Head; He wished to show us by His own ex¬ 
ample how to overcome temptation. It is not, then, a misfortune to 
be tempted, since Christ Himself was tempted; but the sovereign evil 
of man is to yield to temptation. We must, therefore, learn how to 
resist it, and for that purpose must know: I. The different tempta¬ 
tions to which man is subject; II. The means of overcoming them. 

I. THE DIFFFERENT TEMPTATIONS TO WHICH MAN IS SUBJECT 

The life of man on earth is a kind of unceasing temptation: 

“The life of man upon earth is a warfare [or temptation].” (Job 
vii, i) 

How pitiable is the lot of man in this life, in which he is always in 
danger of perishing! But we should be consoled by the knowledge 
that God gives us all the graces necessary to resist temptations, and 
permits us to be tempted only for our advantage. In fact, (i) temp¬ 
tation affords us an occasion of humbling ourselves and of having re¬ 
course to God; (2) it serves to test our virtue; (3) it enables us to 
merit the crown which God has promised us. 

“God tempted Abraham. . . . And he [the angel] said to him: 
Now I know that thou fearest God.” (Gen. xxii, 1, 12) 

“The Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love 
Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deut. xiii, 3) 

“God hath tried them, and found them worthy of Himself.” (Wis. 
iii. 5 ) 


6lO 


DIFFERENT TEMPTATIONS 


611 


“Lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was 
given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me.” (2 
Cor. xii, 7) 

“My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers temp¬ 
tations.” (Jas. i, 2) 

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly from temptation.” 
(2 Pet. ii, 9) 

“What doth he know, that hath not been tried?” (Eccli. xxxiv, 9) 

“No one knows himself unless he is tempted.” (S. Aug.) 

“The more the devil is permitted to tempt you, the better it is for 
you to be exercised and proved, so that you who do not know yourself 
may find out from yourself what you are.” (Id.) 

“If you are never tempted, you will never be proved; it is better to 
be tempted and proved than to be rejected without being tempted.” 
(Id.) 

“God permits temptations because by them virtue is tried and 
strengthened; and he who does not yield when tempted, receives a 
more glorious crown than the man who has not been tempted at all.” 

(Id.) 

“The man who does not sin because he is not tempted, does not 
deserve much praise.” (Ibid.) 

“God tempts for one reason, the devil for another; for the devil 
tempts in order to corrupt; God, in order to crown and approve.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“When you are tempted, remember that the crown is prepared.” 

{Id.) 

“When you are fighting against the devil, God is preparing an eternal 
crown for you.” (Id.) 

“This temptation is sent to prove your faith, to strengthen your vir¬ 
tue, to increase your merit.” (S. Chrys.) 

“This is to us the greatest proof that God is watching over us.” 
(Id.) 

“By trials tepidity is excelled and a holy fear admitted.” (Id.) 

“As a tempest tries the captain of a ship, a contest the athlete, a 
battle the soldier, a calamity the high-spirited,—so does temptation try 
the Christian.” (S. Basil) 

“There are no virtuous works without temptations, there is no battle 
without an enemy, no victory without an encounter.” (S.. Leo) 

But what are the temptations which we have to fight against ? There 
are three principal temptations which the devil employs most frequently 
to destroy men: (1) the temptation of pleasure; (2) the temptation 
of vain-glory; (3) the temptation of self-interest. Such also were the 
three objects which the evil spirit proposed to Christ in the desert: 


6 l2 


TEMPTATIONS 


“All that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, the con¬ 
cupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (i John ii, 16) 

i. The attraction of pleasure 

It is so much the more dangerous to us in that it sympathises, so to 
say, with our nature; we have within us an inclination which draws us 
to pleasures, and against which it is difficult for us to defend ourselves. 
Finding in pleasures that which satisfies our senses, we easily deliver 
ourselves up to them when they present themselves. But what in¬ 
creases our misery is that, by the fall of our first parents our nature 
has become so prone to sin that it is not satisfied with lawful pleasures, 
but seeks those that are forbidden. It is thus by this bait of pleasure 
that the devil, who knows our weakness, attacks us most frequently. 
Is it not while seeking pleasure in assemblies, feasts, and meetings that 
people become guilty of innumerable sins? 

“The good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that 
I do ... For I am delighted with the law of God according to the 
inward man; but I see another law in my members, fighting against 
the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is 
in my members.” (Rom. vii, 19-23) 

“The creatures of God are turned to an abomination, and a tempta¬ 
tion to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise. For 
the beginning of fornication is the devising of idols; and the invention 
of them is the corruption of life.” (Wis. xiv, 11, 12) 

“For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the 
flesh.” (Gal. v, 17) 

“Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn 
away and allured.” (Jas. i, 14) 

“That old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth 
the whole world.” (Apoc. xii, 9) 

“The evil spirit has a thousand ways of injuring us.” (S. Jerome) 

“The devil lies in ambush for each man with the vices that allure 
him most.” (S. Greg.) 

“We have in our flesh an innate demon urging us to every evil.” 
(S. Chrys.) 


2. Vcdn-glory 

It was by this sin that the rebel angel was ruined, when he wished 
to make himself equal to God. A man desires to attain to honors 
and dignities; he makes use of every imaginable means to secure his 
object. If his wishes are satisfied, his heart is filled with pride and 
all the sins of which pride is the source—contempt of others, arrogance, 
revenge on those by whom he thinks himself insulted. Vain-glory 


VAIN GLORY 


613 


often undermines the most solid virtue and destroys the merit of the 
best actions, those deeds being done only to draw on him who does 
them the praise and applause of men. 

“Satan himself transformed! himself into an angel of light.” (2 
Cor. xi, 14) 

“The world leads forth a double line of battle against the soldiers of 
Christ: it flatters in order to deceive them; it terrifies in order to 
crush them.” (S. Aug.) 

“The devil flatters in order to deceive; he pleases in order to injure; 
he entices in order to kill.” (S. Cypr.) 

“A vain man is lifted up into pride, and thinketh himself born free 
like a wild ass’s colt. (Job xi, 12) 

“They trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude of 
their riches.” (Ps. xlviii, 7) 

“Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?” 


(Ps. li, 3) 

“Extol not thyself in doing thy work.” (Eccli. x, 29) 

“Glory not in apparel at any time, and be not exalted in the day of 
thine honor.” (Eccli. xi, 4) 

“They have walked after vanity, and are become vain.” (Jer. ii, 5) 
“Fear not the words of a sinful man, for his glory is dung and 
worms; to-day he is lifted up, and to-morrow he shall not be found.” 
(1 Mach, ii, 62, 63) 

“They loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. (John 


“They became vain in their thoughts . . . professing themselves to 
be wise they became fools.” (Rom. i, 21, 22) 

“What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast 
received, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? (1 

Cor. iv, 7) 1 . . „ 

“Let us not be made desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another. 

^ “Whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” (Phil. 


"'“Every kind of iniquity may be found in sinful works; but pride 
ind vain-glory destroy our good works.” (S. Aug.) 

“What are worldly honors but sinful deceptions. (la.) 

“You carry a load of gold, that is, good works; you must avoid the 
•obber, namely, vain and empty glory in the eyes of men. O 

^'“Vain-glory is an agreeable plunderer of spiritual works a pkasart 
merny of souls, a most flattering pillager of our goods. (S. Ba ) 
“When vain-glory has filled the mind of a vam man, it produces 


614 TEMPTATIONS 

in that mind arrogance, hypocrisy, and impiety.” (S. Ambr.) 

3. The temptation of self-interest 

Where is the man who does not suffer himself to be dazzled by the 
pomp of wealth? 

“Who is he and we will praise him?” (Eccli. xxxi, 9) 

Worldly wealth is the chief motive power of the greater part of the 
actions of mankind. Men desire to possess it, no matter how they are 
to acquire it. What injustice against others, what frauds, what crim¬ 
inal intrigues to amass riches! But it is especially through love of 
perishable goods that the devil holds the avaricious man captive in his 
chains. What does he not make the miser do in order to gain riches 
and to preserve what he has gained? 

“All these will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me.” 
(Matth. iv, 9) 

“From avarice spring treason, fraud, falsehood, perjury, restless¬ 
ness, and violence.” (S. Greg.) 

“Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart?” (Acts v, 3) 
“Everything is full of snares, of dangers; there are dangers in the 
fulness of riches, and in the restraints of poverty; those raise up 
pride, these excite murmurs. There is temptation in health and in 
sickness: the one is a source of negligence, the other a cause of sadness. 
There is a snare in fear, there is a snare in security.” (S. Leo.) 

“He that trusteth to his riches, shall fall.” (Prov. xi, 28) 

“Gold and silver hath destroyed many.” (Eccli. viii, 3) 

“They that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare 
of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which 
drown men into destruction and perdition.” (1 Tim. vi, 9) 

“Blessed is he who has not gone after those things which, when 
possessed, are a burden, when loved, pollute, when lost, torture.” 
(S. Bern.) 


II. MEANS OF OVERCOMING TEMPTATION 

However powerful may be the enemy of our salvation that tempts 
us to destruction, we can never be overcome except through our own 
fault; we can always come out of temptation with profit to ourselves. 

“God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that 
which you are able; but will make also with temptation issue, that you 
may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. x, 13) 

“I can do all things in Him who strengthened! me.” (Phil, iv, 13) 
“The devil can bark, but he can bite only him who is willing to be 
bitten.” (S. Aug.) 


MEANS OF OVERCOMING TEMPTATION 615 

We are, it is true, easily surprised, and weak in resisting; but we 
have only to co-operate with grace which strengthens our weakness, 
and we shall never be overcome. What means must we employ? 
There are two principal means to which all others may be referred: 
(1) vigilance, (2) prayer. 

“Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matth. 
xxvi, 41) 


1. Vigilance. 

In what does this vigilance consist which is so necessary for us if 
we are not to be surprised and overcome by temptation? It consists 
in preparing ourselves for the temptation; in avoiding dangerous 
occasions; in repressing our passions which supply our enemies with 
arms to conquer us by temptation. Such are the means which Jesus 
Christ suggests to us by His retreat in the desert, by His retirement 
from the world, by His fast of forty days. 

a) To prepare ourselves for temptation is to fear and at the same 
time courageously to resist its attacks; we must not trust in ourselves, 
but neither must we allow ourselves to be discouraged. 

“Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and 
in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.” (Eccli. ii, 1) 

We have to fight against powerful enemies. 

“Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against princi¬ 
palities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness.” 
(Eph. vi, 12) 

“Be strengthened in the Lord and in the might of his power . . . 
Take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the 
evil day, and to stand in all things perfect ... In all things taking 
the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the 
fiery darts of the most wicked one; and take unto you the helmet of 
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit [which is the word of God], 
by all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the spirit, and 
in the same watching with all instance.” (Eph. vi, 10, 13-18) 

“In that wherein He Himself [Christ] hath suffered and been 
tempted, He is able to succour them also that are tempted.” (Hebr. 
ii, 18) 

“If God be for us, who is against us?” (Rom. vm, 31) 

“Not to trust in our own strength is the surest means of overcom¬ 
ing the devil.” (Cassiod.) 

b) In order that God may help us by His grace, we must avoid every¬ 
thing that would be to us an occasion of sin. We shall strive in vain 


6 i6 


TEMPTATIONS 


to triumph over our enemies if we expose ourselves to the danger of 
being overcome. God has promised to sustain us in all temptations 
that are inseparable from our state, but He will not support us in those 
temptations to which we voluntarily expose ourselves. 

“Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matth. iv, 7) 

“He that loveth the danger shall perish in it.” (Eccli. iii, 27) 

“Fly [then] and thou hast conquered . . . He who does not wish 
to fly when in danger, desires to perish.” (S. Aug.) 

c) But this victory will be complete only when we take care to mor¬ 
tify the passions that excite us to sin. We can fly from exterior 
enemies, but our passions are domestic enemies which we cannot avoid; 
we must, therefore, restrain and crush them by constant mortification: 
this is a duty which Christian vigilance imposes on us. (See the fol¬ 
lowing instruction: Mortification of the Passions.) 

“Believe one who has had experience, Satan trembles very much at 
the vigils, prayers, and fasts of those who lead good lives.” (S. 
Anton.) 

“Be sober and watch; because your adversary, the devil, as a roar¬ 
ing lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, 
strong in faith.” (1 Pet. v, 8, 9) 

“The tempter is not conquered unless he is despised.” (S. Aug.) 
“The temptations of the devil must be resisted; an adder should not 
be fostered, lest it develop into a serpent.” (S. Cypr.) 

“Let no one dare to expose himself voluntarily to temptations.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“It is human to be tempted in the heart, but it is diabolical to be 
overcome by the temptation.” (S. Greg.) 

“Not to experience temptation is angelic; tp be tempted and to over¬ 
come temptation is Christian; to consent to temptation and sin through 
malice is diabolical.” (S. Anselm.) 

“Delay in resisting temptation fosters and strengthens it.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“The enemy can excite a movement of the flesh, but it is in your 
power to give or refuse consent.” (S. Bern.) 

“With all watchfulness keep thy heart.” (Prov. iv, 23) 

“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times.” (Luke xxi, 36) 

“There shall arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away dis¬ 
ciples after them; therefore watch.” (Acts xx, 30, 31) 

“Keep thyself, therefore, and thy soul carefully.” (Deut. iv, 9) 
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith.” (1 Cor. xvi, 13) 

“We have need of great vigilance, since we are engaged in an un¬ 
ceasing war to which there is no truce.” (S. Chrys.) 


MEANS OF OVERCOMING TEMPTATION 617 

“A man keeps a careless watch when he is anxious about worldly 
affairs.” (S. Greg.) 

“He is on the watch who keeps the eyes of his soul fixed on the 
true light; he is on the watch who practises what he believes; he is 
on the watch who banishes from his heart the darkness of sloth and 
negligence.” {Id.) 

“If you would be secure, watch, place a bolt on your door, that is, 
place the law of divine fear in your mouth, that you may say with the 
Prophet: I have said: I will take heed to my ways that I sin not 
with my tongue.” (Ps. xxxviii, 1) (S. Chrys.) 

“For grace, I say, is given only to him who watches.” {Id.) 

“Let not one of us begin to sleep, let not one be slow to cultivate 
virtue: this is plainly what the Scriptures call sleep.” {Id.) 

“Do you not see that while we are oppressed by sleep, our property 
is not secure, that it is exposed and accessible to those who are waiting 
to steal it?” {Id.) 

“Let the mind be on the watch, let it trust nothing, but examine all 
things, so that it may take precautions against the snares of the enemy 
who is lying in ambush.” (S. Greg.) 

“Let us be vigilant in all our works, lest we either omit what is com¬ 
manded or do what is forbidden.” (S. Bern.) 

“To be watchful and attentive, to dread all things and to observe all 
things, is the duty of one who fears his enemies; indolent carelessness 
produces sleep.” {Id.) 

“If our life is so full of temptations that it may be justly called one 
uninterrupted temptation, the greatest vigilance and prayer are neces¬ 
sary lest we be led into it.” {Id.) 

2. But we shall fight and watch in vain if the Lord does not 
fight and watch with us. 

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” 
(Ps. cxxvi, 1) 

Let us, therefore, ask for His help in fervent prayer; let us raise 
our eyes towards the holy mountain . . . 

“I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall 
come to me.” (Ps. cxx, 1) 

The Lord is always ready to help us. 

“He will overshadow thee with his shoulders . . . He shall cry to 
Me, and I will hear him.” (Ps. xc, 4, 15) 

“Strive, I will help; conquer, I will crown.” (S. Aug.) 

“Christ Himself strives with us; He takes part with us in the fight ; 
and He crowns and is crowned at the same time.” (S. Cypr.) 

“There is no surer proof that the devils have been conquered by us. 


6i8 


TEMPTATIONS 


than the ferocity with which they attack us.” (S. John Climacus) 
“That ever-watchful tempter attacks more vehemently those whom 
he sees abstaining from sin.” (S. Leo) 

“The devil is permitted to try to do something, so that he may be 
conquered by those who remain faithful to the grace of Jesus Christ.” 
(Id.) 

“I sent to know your faith; lest perhaps he that tempteth, should 
have tempted you, and our labor should be made vain.” (i Thess. 
5 ) 

“Lord, save us, we perish.” (Matth. viii, 25) 

“And lead us not into temptation.” (Matth. vi, 13) 


Division 

There are three things to be considered in temptations: 

1. What we ought to do before temptation: 
i°. To foresee it; 

2°. To use every effort to avoid it; 

3 0 . To prepare to resist it. 

2. What we ought to do during temptation: 
i°. To fight bravely; 

2 0 . To implore help from Heaven; 

3 0 . To remain faithful to God. 

3. What we ought to do after having overcome temptation: 
i°. Not to attribute the victory to ourselves; 

2 0 . To give all the glory to God. 



Cl 


MORTIFICATION OF THE PASSIONS 

“Lord, save us, we perish.” (Matth. viii, 25) 

The tempest that terrified the Apostles is an image of that which 
the passions stir up in the soul. This is the state of many people who 
abandon themselves to the violence of their passions, and who would 
most certainly perish if they did not awake Jesus Christ, who is, as it 
were, asleep in their hearts, by imploring Him with a lively faith to 
have pity on them; and if this adorable Saviour, touched by their pray¬ 
ers, did not command the winds and the sea to be still: “He com¬ 
manded the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm/’ (Matth. 
viii, 26). It is of this tempest of the passions that I am going to 
speak. Consider: I. The reasons why we should repress our pas¬ 
sions ; II. The means to be employed in repressing them. 


I. THE REASONS THAT OBLIGE US TO MORTIFY OUR PASSIONS 

We must mortify our passions if we wish to belong to Jesus Christ. 
“They that are Christ’s have crucified their flesh with the vices and 
concupiscences.” (Gal. v, 24) 

Without the mortification of the passions, (1) there is no solid con¬ 
version, (2) no perfect virtue, (3) no true peace. 


1. Without mortification there is no solid conversion 

To turn away from sin and lead a new life, we must fight not only 
against sin but also against everything that incites us to sin. The 
Apostle teaches us that the occupation of a Christian ought to consist 
in destroying in himself two things: the first is sin; he should not be 
either avaricious or impure. The second is the passions that incite 


“Mortify your members which are upon the earth, fornication, un¬ 
cleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness . . . But now lay 
you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech 
out of your mouth. Lie not one to another; stripping yourselves of 
the old man with his deeds, and putting on the new. (Coloss, m, 

5 > &" 10 ) 


619 


620 


MORTIFICATION OF THE PASSIONS 


People imagine that it is sufficient to avoid certain grosser sins; and 
they excuse the voluntary thought, the sinful desire, the passions which 
incite us to commit crime. But is this all that is required to con¬ 
stitute a true conversion? Evidently not. You have left the fire 
under the ashes; on the first occasion the passions will be rekindled, 
and you will fall again and more dangerously than before. 

“We have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities as the wind, have 
taken us away.” (Is. lxiv, 6) 

This is why the Holy Ghost, speaking of the man who allows him¬ 
self to be ruled by his passions, says: 

“His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth, and they shall 
sleep with him in the dust.” (Job xx, n) 

“God delivered them up to shameful affections.” (Rom. i, 26) 

“I let them go according to the desires of their heart.” (Ps. 
lxxx, 13) 

“If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Matth. xvi, 24) 

“Believe me, vices pruned, sprout again; put to flight, they return; 
extinguished, they are again set on fire; stunned, they are again roused 
up.” (S. Bern.) 

“Our victory is within us; let the Christian strive manfully to con¬ 
quer as Christ conquered.” (S. Aug.) 

“Conquer thyself and the world is conquered.” (Id.) 

“We subdue lions, and when they are tamed, we restore to them 
their inclinations; and do you doubt'that you can change the ferocity 
of the passions into meekness?” (S. Chrys.) 

“There is no one born without vices; happiest is he who is beset by 
the smallest.” (S. Jerome) 

2. Without mortification of the passions there is no perfect virtue 

“They who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom. viii, 8) 

No one can make progress, or persevere in grace, unless he sub¬ 
dues his passions. You abstain, you fast; but what good will it do you 
if you employ your tongue in uttering lies, curses, oaths? You weep 
for your sins; but your tears will be vain and fruitless if you do not 
cast off the yoke of your passions. The spirit of revenge sometimes 
causes tears, but they are tears of anger; avarice, deceived in its cal¬ 
culations, sheds tears, but they are tears of self-interest. Ah! what 
tears lost! What good works without a reward! Sinners, slaves of 
their tyrannical passions, will present their alms, their fasts . . . they 
will say: 

“Why have we fasted, and Thou hast not regarded; have we hum¬ 
bled our souls, and Thou hast not taken notice?” (Is. lviii, 3) 


NO PEACE WITHOUT MORTIFICATION 


621 


God will answer them: 

“Behold in the day of your fast your own will is found . . . Behold 
you fast for debates and strife, and strike with the fist wickedly.” 

(Is- 3> 4) 

“Is this such a fast as I have chosen, for a man to afflict his soul for 
a day? ... Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? Loose the 
bands of wickedness.” (Is. 5, 6) 

“Why call you Me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?” 
(Luke vi, 46) 

“He that turneth away his ears from hearing the law, his prayer 
shall be an abomination.” (Prov. xxviii, 9) 

“Mortification has power to cleanse from sin, to repress vice, to in¬ 
crease virtue, to bring spiritual consolation, to edify the neighbor, and 
to merit glory.” (S. Bonav.) 

“Do you wish to see God? In the first place, then, think of purify¬ 
ing your heart, and cast out whatever you see is displeasing to Him.” 
(S. Aug.) 


3. Without mortification of the passions no one can enjoy true 

peace 


“Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin.” (John 
viii, 34 ) 

“By whom a man is overcome, of the same also he is the slave. 


(2 Pet. ii, 19) 

What a sad state is that of a slave! Yet a slave has only one mas¬ 
ter, while a sinner has as many masters as there are sinful inclinations 
to which he is obedient. If he is avaricious, jealous, vindictive, im¬ 
modest, what torments his passions will cause him to suffer! 

“He burns with his own fires, and is consumed with the torches of 
his sins.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Each passion and emotion, when it gains power and domineers, be¬ 
comes the tyrant of our minds.” (S. Greg. Nyss.) 

“Whenever a man sets his heart unduly upon any object, he at once 
loses his interior peace. Thus the proud and the grasping are never 
at rest. It is then by resisting the passions that true peace is found, 
and not by yielding to them.” ( Imit ., B. 1, c. 6) 

You have abandoned Me, saith the Lord: 

“Your fathers forsook Me and went after strange gods . . . And 
you also have done worse than your fathers: for behold every one of 
you walketh after the perverseness of his own evil heart, so as not to 
hearken to Me.” (Jer. xvi, 11, 12) 

But consider what will happen to you: 

“I will cast you forth out of this land, into a land which you know 


622 


MORTIFICATION OF THE PASSIONS 


not, nor your fathers; and there you shall serve strange gods day and 
night, which shall not give you any rest.” (Jer. xvi, 13) 

“Destruction and happiness in their ways, and the way of peace 
they have not known.” (Ps. xiii, 3) 

“[But] much peace have they that love thy law.” (Ps. cxviii, 165) 

“I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my 
mind, and captivating me in the law of sin.” (Rom. vii, 23) 

“Neither have they rest day nor night, who have adored the beast 
and his image.” (Apoc. xiv, 11) 

“The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest, and the 
waves thereof cast up dirt and mire. There is no peace to the wicked, 
saith the Lord God.” (Is. lvii, 20) 

“From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not 
hence, from your concupiscences which war in your members?” (Jas. 
iv, 1) 

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, 
uncleanness, . . . contentions, etc.” (Gal. v, 19, 20) 

“Thou hast decreed, O Lord, and so it is, that every sinful soul 
should be a punishment to itself.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who does not know how to control his passions is like a horse 
carried away by frenzy, that is tossed about, crushed, and wounded.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Every passion is servile.” (Id.) 

“To have conquered sensuality is a very great happiness, and there 
is no victory greater than that which is gained over the passions; a 
great victory indeed, and to be purchased only by blood and sweat.” 
(S. Cypr.) 

“He is really free, and alone chief and king of kings, who is free 
from his passions.” (S. Chrys.) 

“There is nothing to be desired by any one so much as to enjoy peace 
of mind, and to control his passions.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

“If you have completely conquered yourself, you will more easily 
subdue other things; to triumph over yourself is a perfect victory.” 
(Thos. a Kempis) 

“The desire of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting 
have erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in many 
sorrows.” (1 Tim. vi, 10) 

“Evil passions, depart into the depths, I will plunge you in lest I 
should be overwhelmed by you.” (S. Jerome) 


II. MEANS TO BE EMPLOYED IN REPRESSING THE PASSIONS 

Among the means to be employed in resisting the passions there are 


HOW TO REPRESS THE PASSIONS 


623 

three which appear to be more necessary, and at the same time more 
efficacious: (1) to resist them at once; (2) to oppose to the vices to 
which we are tempted, the opposite virtues; (3) to wage regular and 
unceasing war against them. 

1. To resist them at once 

It is most important to subdue the passions at once, not to suffer 
them to gain any power. 

“If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not 
thy place; because care will make the greatest sins to cease.” (Eccle. 
x, 4) 

“Thy lust shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over 
it.” (Gen. iv, 7) 

“Let not sin reign in your mortal body, so as to obey the lusts 
thereof.” (Rom. vi, 12) 

“As long as we dwell in the tabernacle of this mortal body, and are 
enveloped in weak flesh, we can govern and rule our passions and 
emotions, but we cannot cut them off.” (S. Jerome) 

“You have indeed been created a ruler for this purpose, that you 
might govern your passions, and subdue the beasts, the reptiles.” (S. 
Basil) 

“Although the captain of a ship has not received the power to com¬ 
mand the sea to be calm, according to his judgment and will, yet we 
have full power to regulate our lives so as to have them free from all 
disturbance of the passions.” (Id.) 

“To mortify the motions of the flesh, and the passions, to weaken 
them each day, to restrain them, to crush them, is our work in this 
life.” (S. John Clim.) 

2. We must strive earnestly to practise the virtues that are opposed 
to the vices which trouble us 

We must fight against gluttony by the practice of temperance, against 
anger by mildness, against lust by prayer and fasting, and so forth. 

Vices are cured by the practice of the opposite virtues. 

“This kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.” (Matth. 
xvii, 20) 

“He was mindful of us in our affliction . . . and He redeemed us 
from our enemies.” (Ps. cxxxv, 23, 24) 

3. We must wage a systematic and unceasing war against our 
passions 

A systematic war: we must attack them one after the other. To 
attack them all together is too great a task. Your passions are like 


MORTIFICATION OF THE PASSIONS 


624 

an immense fire; if you try to extinguish them all at the same time, 
you will not succeed in doing so; but separate them, divide them, and 
you will overcome them. 

‘This should be our work, namely, to overcome ourselves, and daily 
gain more power over ourselves. ,, (a Kempis) 

“Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that 
the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies.” (2 
Cor. iv, 10) 

Arm yourselves with a holy zeal; consider the example of so many 
saints, of so many fervent Christians. 

“We should specially bear in mind that he who remembers that he 
has done unlawful things, should strive to abstain from certain things 
even though they are lawful.” (S. Greg.) 

“For there are certain things which it is easier to cut off altogether 
than to use in moderation.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn 
away and allured.” (Jas. i, 14) 

“We are the circumcision, who in spirit serve God, and glory 
in Christ Jesus, not having confidence in the flesh.” (Philip. 

>>'. 3) 

“Go not after thy lusts, but turn away from thy own will. If thou 
give to thy soul her desires, she will make thee a joy to thy enemies.” 
(Eccli. xviii, 30, 31) 

“The patient man is better than the valiant; and he that ruleth his 
spirit, than he that taketh cities.” (Prov. xvi, 32) 

“Bad morals are worse enemies than dangerous exterior foes.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“The passions wage war, do you wage war with them; they attack, 
do you attack; they assault, do you assault; attend to this one thing, 
that they do not conquer.” (S. Aug.) 

“Chastise your body, and you will conquer the devil; for this is 
how S. Paul has taught us to fight against him.” (Id.) 

What consolation for us when we shall have conquered these pas¬ 
sions. They themselves will assist in our triumph: 

“Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse 
ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting 
sanctification in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. vii, 1) 

“O Lord, Father and God of my life, . . . take from me the greed¬ 
iness of the belly, and let not the lusts of the flesh take hold of me, 
and give me not over to a shameless and foolish mind.” (Eccli. 
xxiii, 4, 6) 




HOW T % 0 REPRESS THE PASSIONS 625 

Divisions 

I 

1. We should labor to repress and conquer our passions: 

i°. Because they are the source of all our vices and sins ; 

2°. Because they are an obstacle to all virtues; 

3 0 . Because they are a hindrance to the discharge of our duties. 

2. It is easier to conquer our passions than is commonly believed. 
In fact, 

i°. We have to suffer more in satisfying our inordinate passions 
than in fighting against them; for what tyranny do they not exercise 
over us when we obey them? 

2°. The joy, the peace, which we find in victory over our passions, 
is to be preferred to all the satisfaction to be found in the possession 
of that which we most ardently desire. 

3 0 . The glory which follows the victory over the passions is really 
solid and assured; while nothing but shame and confusion is found in 
gratifying them. 

II 

1. Means of overcoming the passions: 

i°. The grace of God, which never fails us, and with which we 
can conquer them all. 

2°. Christian vigilance, which will enable us to foresee the occasion 
of sin. 

3 0 . The fear of God and submission to His orders, since He com¬ 
mands us to resist our passions. 

2. Advantages of victory over our passions. It procures for us, 

i°. Peace of heart and the joy of a good conscience; 

2°. Christian liberty, which frees us from the slavery of the world, 
the flesh, and the devil; 

3 0 . The certainty of an eternal reward. 


CII 


FIDELITY IN SMALL THINGS 

“He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.” (Eccli. 
xix, i) 

We should never regard as a small matter that which can please 
or displease God, which can help or hinder us in the work of our sal¬ 
vation; and yet it often happens that we neglect small things and 
value great things only, striking virtues, looking on everything that 
does not shine before men as a trifle. In order that you may fight 
against and destroy this error, I will show you: I. That we require 
as much virtue, strength, and courage to persevere in the practice of 
small things, as to undertake great works and to discharge our most 
important duties; II. That God is glorified as much by punctuality in 
small matters as by fidelity in those that are great. 


I. WE REQUIRE AS MUCH VIRTUE, STRENGTH, AND COURAGE 
TO PRACTISE SMALL WORKS CONSTANTLY AS WE DO TO 
PERFORM OUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTIES 

1. In great works we consider the reward, the fruit we shall draw 
from them; this lessens the difficulty very much, and encourages us 
to undertake them. But in small things there is nothing like this to 
urge us on; as they are ordinary matters, vanity is seldom mixed up 
in them, and our intention is more upright. Moreover, small acts 
of virtue, being more frequent can, by their number, equal the merit 
of one great act. 

2. The difficulty and toil is not less in the ordinary practice of small 
things, in which weariness and constraint are continual, than in the 
greatest works which occur but rarely. It is undoubtedly much easier 
to make some effort to overcome ourselves on occasions which rarely 
arise, than to be always exact, always regular, even in the smallest 
duties, since this regularity requires us to be always overcoming our¬ 
selves. In order, then, to be regular and punctual in small matters, we 
require a stronger and more deeply-rooted virtue. 

626 


VIRTUE REQUIRED FOR SMALL WORKS 627 

3. The interior difficulties and trials which we must overcome in 
the constant practice of small works, require in us a stronger virtue 
and a firmer will, so that we may not be discouraged at the continuity 
of exercises which have nothing attractive; that we may overcome the 
weariness and disrelish that are met with in a regular life; that we may 
subject ourselves to a thousand things which do not gain us much 
praise from men, and which do not appear to us to be very meritorious 
before God; in which thought, however, we deceive ourselves; because 
in the exercise of the smallest acts we can practise the greatest and 
noblest virtues.—humility, patience, charity, mortification. 


II. WE DO NOT MERIT LESS GLORY BEFORE GOD BY PUNCTUALITY 
IN SMALL MATTERS THAN BY FIDELITY IN GREAT AFFAIRS 

1. We show by this punctuality that we have a high idea of the 
grandeur of God, since we find our happiness in rendering to Him the 
smallest services. 

2. Nothing that is done for the love of God is small in His eyes. 
It is even in small things that He tries our fidelity best. It is with 
Him as with masters in regard to their servants: it is in small matters 
that masters best recognize the fidelity of those who are in their service. 
Great duties and signal services cannot be neglected with impunity; 
while small duties, the little services that are works of supererogation, 
prove the affection which inspires them. 

3. Self-love enters less into small things, we do not seek our own 
special interest in them; consequently, it is the glory of God and the 
desire of pleasing Him that induce us to do them, and sustain us in the 
weariness which usually accompanies them. 

“For nothing [that is, for a small work] shalt Thou save them. ,, 
(Ps. lv, 8) 

“Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup ot 
cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen, I say to you, he shall 
not lose his reward.” (Matth. x, 42) 

“Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faith¬ 
ful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matth. xxv, 21) 

“That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” 
(2 Cor. iv, 17) 

“The just please and move God more by small acts than some who 
do many things. For God does not look to the act, but to the fervor 


628 


FIDELITY IN SMALL THINGS 


of the will; and He considers not what is done, but the devotion and 
good will with which it is accomplished.” (S. Ephrem) 

A. Carelessness in small things leads up to the greatest disorders, 
(i) by weakening the fear of God in the soul; (2) by lessening 
the fire of His love; (3) by diminishing the horror which we should 
have of vice. 

“They begin with the smallest things and they rush into the great¬ 
est.” (S. Bern.) 

“Just as a man slips gradually from the smallest vices into the 
greatest, so he strives to rise by degrees from small virtues to those 
that are lofty.” (S. Isid.) 

“He that feareth God, neglecteth nothing.” (Eccle. vii, 19) 

“Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast 
wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy 
neck.” (Cant, iv, 9) 

“By slothfulness a building shall be brought down.” (Eccle. x, 18) 

“Be contented with little instead of much, and thou shalt not hear 
the reproach of going abroad.” (Eccli. xxix, 29) 

“He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that 
which is greater; and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust 
also in that which is greater.” (Luke xvi, 10) 

“Behold how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth.” (Jas. 

i>i. 5 ) 

“The small conflicts prove how bravely we can fight in the great 
battle.” (S. Ambr.) 

“You have guarded against the great things; what are you doing 
with regard to the smallest? Are you not afraid of very small things? 
You have thrown up a mound, see that you are not overwhelmed by 
the sand.” (S. Aug.) 

“If we are careless in attending to small duties, we shall be insensi¬ 
bly led astray and shall treat great things rashly.” (S. Greg.) 

“When the smallest matters are carefully attended to, the power of 
discipline continues; but when the least excesses are neglected, dis¬ 
cipline becomes gradually relaxed.” (S. Ambr.) 

B. Carelessness in small things does cm injury, (1) to the wisdom 
of God, who judges them to be useful, or even necessary for our 
salvation; (2) to His love, which requires from us sufficient tender¬ 
ness to cause us not to offend Him in things that appear unimportant; 
(3) to His holiness, before which the smallest stain is a frightful 
deformity. 

“It becometh us to fulfil all justice.” (Matth. iii, 15) 


VIRTUE REQUIRED FOR SMALL WORKS 629 

“I do not know whether we can say that any sin which is committed 
in contempt of God is light.” (S. Jerome) 

“Fidelity in the smallest duty is the grandest quality.” (S. Aug.) 

“The kingdom of Heaven is for sale; God has willed that its price 
should be a cup of cold:water.” (Id.) 

“Nothing that is done for God’s sake is small; on the contrary, it is 
great, and of that kind which procures for us Heaven and heavenly 
rewards.” (S. Basil) 

“God who seeks for small things, will give the greatest in return. 
(S. Chrys.) 

“God is accustomed to give great things for those that are small. 
Our Lord is wont to consider not how much is given, but the good 
will of the giver, and because of this He places a great value on small 
things.” (Id.) 

“God does not demand from us what is costly and sumptuous; He 
asks for food and shelter.” (Id.) 

“Our Saviour, desiring His followers to acquire true and perfect 
sanctity, has ordered them to avoid most carefully the smallest faults, 
so that the life of a Christian may be as spotless as the pupil of the 
eye.” (Salvian) 


Division 

1. Ordinary causes of the neglect of small things: 

1 0 The little esteem which we have for what pleases God; 
2°. Great sloth in the work of our salvation; 

3 0 . Great tepidity in the service of God. 

2. Effects of this negligence: 

i°. It deprives us of the courage to do great things; 

2 0 . It is the cause of our doing next to nothing for God; 
3 0 . It leads us gradually into great sins. 



cm 

GOOD WORKS 

“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and 
shall be cast into the fire.” (Matth. vii, 19) 

What is this ill-fated tree which Jesus Christ threatens to have cut 
down? It is the Christian who is unfruitful in good works. A Chris¬ 
tian is indeed like a tree which God has planted in His field, by caus¬ 
ing him to be born in the bosom of the true Church. God has culti¬ 
vated this tree with care; He has therefore a right to expect fruit 
from it, and it is with justice that He condemns it to be burned if it 
does not produce any fruit. Let us consider: I. The necessity of 
good works; II. What are the works which God demands from us. 


I. THE NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS 

It is a grave error to believe that in order to be saved it is sufficient 
to avoid evil; God wishes us not only to avoid evil, but also to perform 
good works: 

“Decline from evil and do good.” (Ps. xxxvi, 27) 

“Not only to have done evil, but also not to have done good works, 
deserves condemnation.” (S. Aug.) 

Let us open the Sacred Scriptures, and we shall there learn: (1) 
that without good works no one can be saved; (2) that only good 
works, grounded on faith, can assure to us the possession of Heaven. 

1. No one can be saved without good works 

Every tree that brings not forth good fruit, that is to say, every 
Christian who neglects good works, who does not do the good works 
God commands him to do, who is sterile in virtues, will be condemned 
to the eternal flames of hell. Do we require any further proof of the 
necessity of good works? 

“Either fruit or fire; therefore that he may not be in fire, let him 
bring forth fruit.” (S. Aug.) 

What will it avail you to have formed beautiful projects of con¬ 
version, to have made the resolution of restoring the property of 
others, of becoming reconciled with your enemy,—if your resolutions 

630 


THE NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS 


631 

have no effect? You will be condemned with your fruitless desires and 
resolutions. The Father of the household has neglected nothing. He 
has planted you in good soil. He has watered you with the waters of 
grace in order to make you bring forth fruits worthy of penance; but 
you have not corresponded with His care. You have languished in 
a life slothful and fruitless in good works. 

“Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of penance . . . For now 
the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that 
bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the 
fire.” (Luke iii, 8, 9) 

“Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, 
and I find none. Cut it down therefore; why cumbereth it the 
ground?” (Luke xiii, 7) 

“I have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth 
fruit; and that your fruit should remain.” (John xv, 16) 

“Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He will take away.” 
(John xv, 2) 

“It is not enough to abstain from evil; that which is good must be 
done; and it is a small thing not to injure any one, unless you strive to 
be useful by good works.” (S. Aug.) 

How deplorable, then, is the unhappy lot of so many Christians, 
who are content with the assurance that they commit no evil, that they 
are not subject to gross vices, that they do not wrong any one, that 
they are even temperate in their passions; but who omit to do what is 
good, who do not practise virtues, who neglect good works! Do not 
rest satisfied with the noble rank of Christian, which you received in 
Baptism. The faith which you profess will avail you nothing with¬ 
out good works. Faith is a talent given to you by God that you 
might make it fructify. You are not addicted to gross sins, you say, 
you are not blasphemers, nor libertines. Be it so; you will not be 
condemned for these crimes, but you will be condemned for not hav¬ 
ing done the good works which God demanded of you in the state of 
life in which He placed you. 

“From him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall 
be taken away. And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the 
exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 
(Matth. xxv, 29, 30) 

“So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself ... But wilt 
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not 
Abraham, our father, justified by works ... Do you see that by 
works a man is justified, and not by faith only? (J as * 20, 24) 

“Faith without works is dead, as are works without faith.” (S. 
Greg.) 


632 


GOOD WORKS 


f 


“By their fruits you shall know them. Not every man that saith 
to Me: Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he 
that doth the will of My Father, who is in heaven . . . Many will 
say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy 
name? . . . And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: de¬ 
part from Me you that work iniquity.” (Matth. vii, 20-23) 

“Those who profess to love Christ are known not only from their 
words, but also from their deeds; for a tree is known by its fruit.” 
(S. Ignat.) 

“Faith that does not work, what is it but a lifeless corpse?” (S. 
Bern.) 

We should remark that the omission of good works will be the chief 
motive that will influence the sentence of condemnation which Christ 
will pronounce against the reprobate: 

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire. ... For I was 
hungry and you gave Me not to eat,” etc. (Matth. xxv, 41) 

“At last came also the other virgins [who had not taken oil with 
them], saying: “Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answering said: 
Amen, I say to you, I know you not.” (Matth. xxv, 11, 12) 

“Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither 
work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither 
thou art hastening.” (Eccle. ix, 10) 

“We must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, that 
every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he 
hath done, whether it be good or evil.” (2 Cor. v, 10) 

2. Good works, therefore , are the only title that can secure for us 
an entrance into the inheritance of the Lord 

This is what we can see also in the sentence which Christ will pro¬ 
nounce in favor of the elect: 

“Come, ye blessed of My Father. ... I was hungry and you gave 
Me to eat,” etc. (Matth. xxv, 34 ff.) 

“Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faith¬ 
ful over a few things, I will place thee over many: enter thou into the 
joy of thy Lord.” (Matth. xxv, 21) 

“God is not unjust, that He should forget your work.” (Heb. vi, 
10) 

“And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own 
labor.” (1 Cor. iii, 8) 

“He will render to every man according to his works.” (Rom. ii, 6) 

“What things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap.” (Gal. 
vi, 8) 


WHAT GOOD WORKS GOD DEMANDS 633 

“To him that soweth justice, there is a faithful reward.” (Prov. 
xi, 18) 

“If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forth¬ 
with be present at the door?” (Gen. iv, 7) 

“The Lord will reward me according to my justice.” (Ps. xvii, 21) 

“By the fruit of his own mouth shall a man be filled with good 
things, and according to the works of his hands it shall be repaid him.” 
(Prov. xii, 14) 

“The work of the just is unto life.” (Prov. x, 16) 

“Call the laborers and pay them their hire.” (Matth. xx, 8) 

“Glory and honor and peace to every one that worketh good.” 
(Rom. ii, 10) 

“Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to 
every man according to his works.” (Apoc. xxii, 12) 

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. . . . for their works will 
follow them.” (Apoc. xiv, 13) 

“Every work becomes light when the reward to be bestowed on it 
is considered; it is the hope of the reward that makes the work easy.” 
(S. Jerome) 

Good works, then, are necessary for you in whatever state you may 
be: if you are in sin, you should perform good works in order to 
obtain the grace of conversion, which will help you to blot out your 
sins and become reconciled to God. 

“[Therefore] as you have yielded your members to serve unclean¬ 
ness and iniquity, unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve 
justice, unto sanctification.” (Rom. vi, 19) 

If you are free from sin, you should practise good works in order 
to persevere in the grace of God. 

“He that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let 
him be sanctified still.” (Apoc. xxii, 11) 


II. WHAT ARE THE GOOD WORKS WHICH GOD DEMANDS OF US ? 

The quality of a tree is known by the fruit it produces. A good tree 
cannot bring forth bad fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns, 
nor figs from thistles. A good tree then should produce the fruit that 
is peculiar to it, that is to say, a Christian should do (1) the works 
which are suitable to his state of life and which God demands from 
him, and (2) do them as God wishes them to be done. 

1. We should do the works that are suitable to our state, that is to 
say, those which depend on us and to which we are obliged. God 


634 


GOOD WORKS 


does not demand from us things that are impossible and above our 
strength. What He does demand is that we should fulfil the duties of 
the state to which He has called us, according to the talents and graces 
which He gives us. 

Your occupations do not permit you, for example, to pass a part of 
the day in the church; but you can and should give time to prayer, 
morning and evening; and during your work you can sometimes raise 
up your heart to God. Your means do not allow you to give abundant 
alms to the poor; but you have so many occasions of exercising charity 
towards your neighbor by rendering some service to those who require 
your help! Your constitution is not strong enough to allow you to 
mortify yourself by continual fasts; but at least you can and should 
observe the commandments of the Church and retrench your food a 
little at other times in a spirit of penance. You cannot announce the 
word of God to the people as the ministers of the Gospel do; but you 
can and should exercise your zeal in the bosom of your family by in¬ 
structing and correcting your children and your servants. 

“Who perseveres in praising God the whole day? I will show you 
how you can praise Him the entire day, if you wish to do so: do well 
whatever you do and you have praised God. In the innocence of your 
works prepare to praise God all the day.” (S. Aug.) 

Do, then, what depends on you, what God demands of you, and you 
will be this good tree that bears good fruit. 

Do what God demands. Pay attention to this so as not to allow your¬ 
selves to be drawn aside by a false devotion. You must apply your¬ 
selves to works of precept rather than to those that are only of counsel. 
Pay your debts before you give alms. You must not neglect essential 
duties in order to adopt certain practices of piety, which you have pre¬ 
scribed for yourselves of your own free will. In a word you must 
first of all fulfil the duties that are of obligation. 

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all doctors? Are all 
workers of miracles?” (i Cor. xii, 29, 30) 

“He shall be like a tree, which is planted near the running waters, 
which shall bring forth its fruit in due season.” (Ps. i, 3) 

“Make your ways and your doings good, and I will dwell with you.” 
(Jer. vii, 3) 

“I will show thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requir- 
eth of thee: Verily, to do judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk 
solicitous with thy God.” (Mich, vi, 8) 

“Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which en- 
dureth unto life everlasting.” (John vi, 27) 

“Brethren, be steadfast, . . . abounding in the work of the Lord, 
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. xv, 58) 


WHAT GOOD WORKS GOD DEMANDS 


635 


“Works have a tongue, they are eloquent, even though the tongue is 
silent; deeds rather than words are the proof of love.” (S. Cyril) 
“If any one asserts that he loves another, and confines himself to 
the mere assertion, the words of such a man are as it were dead.” (S. 
Greg. Nyss.) 

“They profess that they know God; but in their works they deny 
Him.” (Tit. i, 16) 

2. It is not enough to perform the good works we are obliged to do, 
we must do them as God wishes us to do them, that is, with the inten¬ 
tion of pleasing Him. However good an act may otherwise be, it is 
deprived of an essential condition to entitle it to a reward, if it is not 
done with the intention of pleasing God. With this good intention the 
most ordinary acts become great before God; further, actions that are 
in themselves indifferent, such as eating and drinking, become meri¬ 
torious. Without such intention the most extraordinary works are 
without real merit: they resemble the works of the Pharisees. 

“They disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 
Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matth. vi, 16) 
One of the most dangerous artifices made use of by the devil to turn 
men aside from the way of salvation, is to render their good actions 
defective, as far as he can do so, by insinuating into them some motive 
capable of vitiating them, such as human respect, self-interest, vain¬ 
glory, the esteem of the world. People pray and give alms, but they 
are pleased that men should know and publish what they do. How 
many Christians are adorned with a beautiful exterior of virtue, while 
their souls are covered with sin! 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you are 
like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, 
but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness. So you 
also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full 
of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matth. xxiii, 27, 28) 

“They come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are 
ravening wolves.” (Matth. vii, 15) 

“Thou hast the name of being alive, and thou art dead. ’ (Apoc. 

m, “Their hope is vain, and their labor without fruit, and their words 
unprofitable. ... The fruit of good labors is glorious.” (Wis. iii, 

IT “He that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made 
manifest, because they are done in God.” (John iii, 21) 

“All works are virtuous when they are directed to that end, which 
is Christ.” (S. Aug.) 


636 


GOOD WORKS 


“I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the 
night cometh when no man can work.” (John ix, 4) 

“Walk whilst you have light, that the darkness overtake you not.” 
(John xii, 35) 

“Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust 
nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor 
steal.” (Matth. vi, 20) 

“In doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not 
failing. Therefore whilst we have time, let us work good to all men.” 
(Gal. vi, 9, 10) 

“Providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the 
sight of all men.” (Rom. xii, 17) 

“That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is 
in heaven.” (Matth. v, 16) 

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.” 
(Ephes. v, 11) 

“That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing: being 
fruitful in every good work.” (Col. i, 10) 

“Labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your call¬ 
ing and election.” (2 Pet. i, 10) 


Divisions 

I 

Necessity of good works 

1. Because of the precept, both general and particular, by which 
Christ imposes on us an obligation of doing good works; general, by 
these words: “Unless your justice abound,” etc. (Matth. v, 20); 
particular, is there not a precept concerning alms-deeds, charity, the 
bringing forth of fruits worthy of penance? 

2. Necessity of means, that is to say, it is naturally impossible that 
it should be otherwise, because God has promised eternal happiness 
only as a reward. But a reward presupposes merit, and merit sup¬ 
poses good works. Further, no one can be saved without the practice 
of faith, hope, and charity; but these virtues suppose good works, 
since they cannot be exercised without such works. 

II 

Faults to be avoided in doing good works 

1. We must not put aside the solid virtues and good works that are 




WHAT GOOD WORKS GOD DEMANDS 


637 


prescribed, in order to follow our own will and caprice in the practice 
of others, in which we very often place our perfection; but we must 
overcome our passions and exercise charity. 

2. We must not apply ourselves to works of supererogation, which 
are of counsel only, and omit those to which we are indispensably 
obliged. 

3. It is not enough to do that which gives us most pleasure; we 
must fulfil all our obligations. 

4. It is not sufficient to do a few good works; we must do such a 
number of them that we may not hear the words: “I find not thy 
works full.” (Apoc. iii, 2) 


III 

Conditions required in good works that they may merit the reward 
which God has promised 

1. They should be performed in a state of grace. 

2. They should be done through a motive of pleasing God, of glori¬ 
fying Him, and of satisfying His justice. 

3. They should be referred to God, who has the best part in them 
by His grace. 

IV 

Advantages of good works 

1. It is by them that we praise and glorify God. 

2. They rouse up our neighbor to do similar works. 

3. They procure for us treasures of merit for Heaven. 

4. They will be our joy at the hour of death. 


CIV 

RESPECT IN THE CHURCH 


“My house is the house of prayer.” (Luke xix, 46) 

Everywhere else Jesus Christ is shown to us as full of goodness, 
patience, and meekness. Here He is shown full of a just indignation, 
driving out with a holy anger those who were profaning the temple. In 
doing so, He wished to avenge the honor of His Eternal Father, out¬ 
raged in His own house; but He wished also to teach us; He wished 
to inspire us with a great horror of the crime of profaning the house 
of God, and to induce us to conduct ourselves therein with all due 
respect and devotion. I. The House of God deserves our most pro¬ 
found respect and our most perfect devotion; II. In what this respect 
and devotion consist. 

I. THE HOUSE OF GOD DESERVES OUR MOST PROFOUND RESPECT AND MOST 
PERFECT DEVOTION 

To make ourselves feel the holy reverence due to churches, and to 
inspire ourselves with a perfect devotion, we must clearly understand 
what Faith teaches concerning them, and call it to mind whenever we 
enter a church. What idea should we have of a church? Our Divine 
Saviour Himself tells us: “My house is the house of prayer.” 
Churches, then, are (1) the houses of God, and (2) are set apart for 
religious worship. 

1. Our churches are houses of God 

From all time God chose for Himself places in which to be specially 
honored; and although He deserves our homage everywhere, yet He 
wishes to receive it in certain places rather than in others, and He 
receives it more favorably in such places. From the moment that the 
Lord chose for Himself a people among all nations, He ordered that 
there should be a place specially consecrated to Him; e. g., the Taber¬ 
nacle, the Temple of Solomon. The Christian religion succeeded that 
of the Jews, and as it spread throughout the world, God wished that 
churches should be erected to Him in different places. And these 
churches have been consecrated by the most solemn and venerable 
ceremonies. 

“Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And trembling, 

638 



THE HOUSE OF GOD 639 

he said: How terrible is this place! this is no other but the house of 
God, and the gate of heaven.” (Gen. xxviii, 16, 17) 

“Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath gods so nigh 
them, as our God is present to all our petitions.” (Deut. iv, 7) 

“If Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee, how 
much less this house which I have built?” (3 Kings viii, 27) 

“I have sanctified this house which thou hast built, to put My 
name there for ever, and My eyes and My heart shall be there always.” 
(3 Kings ix, 3) 

“The majesty of the Lord filled the house.” (2 Paral. vii, 1) 

“The Lord is in His holy temple.” (Habac. ii, 20) 

“I will fill this house with glory.” (Aggeus ii, 8) 1 

“That place is indeed terrible and worthy of all respect, in which the 
faithful dwell, which the holy angels often visit, and which the Lord 
Himself honors by His presence.” (S. Bern.) 

“The Church is not a public hall; it is the abode of angels, the court 
of Heaven, it is Heaven itself. The Church is Heaven reduced to a 
small space.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The Lord is in that place in which not two or three, but very many, 
persevere in His name.” (/d.) 

2. Our churches are houses of prayer 

Let us consider why they have been consecrated. 
i°. In order to offer in them the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to recog¬ 
nize there the sovereign dominion of God over man, to thank Him 
for His graces, already given, to appease His justice, and to beseech 
Him to give us all the help we need. 

2°. To sing therein His praises in hymns and canticles and thus give 
to Him the homage of our tongues, our minds, and our hearts; 

3 0 . To hear therein His divine word. 

But the churches are not only the throne of the Most High on earth; 
they are also for us the gate of Heaven; they are houses of salvation; 
it is in them we are regenerated in the waters of Baptism, purified in 
the tribunal of Penance, sanctified at the Eucharistic Table, instructed 
in the saving truths of the Gospel, edified by the good example of vir¬ 
tuous Christians, finally, filled with graces which the Lord there pours 
down in abundance. If people reflected seriously on these important 
truths, they would not be so tepid, so careless, so distracted in these 
holy places. Should we see such scandals? What! You are not 
content with offending God in your houses, but you would also offend 
Him in His own dwelling-place? What an outrage! 

“Beware lest thou offer thy holocausts in every place that thou shalt 
see; but in the place which the Lord shall choose.” (Deut. xii, 13, 14) 


640 


RESPECT IN THE CHURCH 


“What things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary! . . . 
They have set fire to Thy sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling- 
place of Thy name on the earth.” (Ps. lxxiii, 3, 7) 

“In the land of the saints he hath done wicked things, and he shall 
not see the glory of God.” (Is. xxvi, 10) 

“What is the meaning that My beloved hath wrought much wicked¬ 
ness in My house?” (Jer. xi, 15) 

“Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing, the 
great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I 
should depart far off from My sanctuary?” (Ezech. viii, 6) 

“They have done this to Me: they polluted My sanctuary on the 
same day.” (Ezech. xxiii, 38) 

“My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made 
it a den of thieves.” (Matth. xxi, 13) 

“Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father a 
house of traffic.” (John ii, 16) 

“What! have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye 
the church of God?” (1 Cor. xi, 22) 

“If any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” 
(1 Cor. iii, 17) 

“Those who lead evil lives do this; they wish, as far as they can do 
so, to make the house of God a den of thieves.” (S. Aug.) 

“Come all together to pray in the same place; let the prayer be com¬ 
mon to all, one mind, one hope, spotless love, in the faith of Christ 
Jesus. Hasten together to the temple of God, as to one altar, as to one 
Pontiff, Jesus Christ.” (S. Ignat.) 

“We meet together as an assembly and congregation offering up 
prayer to God, that with united force we may wrestle with Him in 
our supplication. This violence God delights in.” (Tert.) 

“God has placed churches in cities like harbors in the sea, as it 
were.” (S. John Damasc.) 

“God, unwilling that worldly traffic, even that which was considered 
lawful, should be carried on in His house, drove out the merchants; 
what do we think then the Lord would do if He found any persons 
brawling, listening to idle stories, giving way to laughter, He who 
saw in the temple those who were buying victims for the sacrifice and 
hastened to expel them?” (S. Bede) 

“It would not be surprising if lightning was sent down; for those 
things that are done in the church deserve this punishment.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

Are not the things that are done here more suited to the theatre? 
O insolence! how could we appease God?” (Id.) 

Then, in the first ages of the Church, the houses were churches; 


HOLY DISPOSITIONS 


641 


now the church is a house, or rather worse than any house.” (Id.) 

“What do you do, O man? You gaze with curiosity at the beauty 
of a woman in the church; and you are not terrified at inflicting so 
great an outrage on the house of God!” (Id.) 

“The priest stands offering to God the prayer of all; and do you 
laugh? do you not fear? do you not tremble?” (Id.) 

“In the law-court there is silence; in the church, clamor.” (Id.) 

“Is there anything more shameful than to have the word of God 
stifled by noises coming from all sides, than to have sacred things 
surrounded by those who make a disturbing noise, whereas the gentiles 
paid reverence to their idols in silence?” (S. Ambr.) 


II. IN WHAT THIS RESPECT AND DEVOTION CONSIST 


i. There is nothing more essential than to go to church with holy 
dispositions. The great source of unbecoming conduct in church is 
taking part in religious service without due preparation. How in fact 
do many people come into the house of God? For what object and 
in what state? Some through custom and human respect; others in a 
spirit of curiosity. Begin then by having a pure intention every time 
you go to the house of the Lord; reanimate your faith, and never fail 
to call to mind the holiness of the place to which you are going. . . . 
Remember the advice of the Holy Spirit: . . 

“Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God. (Lccle. 


iv, 17) 

Say with the prophet: . 

“I will come into Thy house [O Lord]; I will worship towards Ihy 

holy temple in Thy fear.” (Ps. v, 8) 

“Reverence My sanctuary.” (Levit. xxvi, 2) 

Nothing defiled can enter Heaven; is it not becoming that no one 
should have the temerity to bring into the church, where the same 
God resides, a soiled body, a sinful soul? If then you have had the 
misfortune to give way to sin, come to the church with a contrite heart, 
and with the intention of becoming reconciled to the Lord as soon as 
possible. Take the holy water with respect and make an act of 

—off thy shoes from thy feet; for the place whereon thou 

standest is holy ground.’ (Exod. iii, 5 ) . ... ^ 

“I will go into Thy house with burnt-offerings; I will pay Thee my 
vows which my lips have uttered. ’ (Ps. lxv, 13) 

“We will go into His tabernacle; we will adore in the place where 

His feet stood.” (Ps. cxxxi, 7) „ , 

“Holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days. (Ps. 

xcii, 5) 


642 


RESPECT IN THE CHURCH 


“The fear of God not only induces us to practise religion outwardly, 
but also disposes our soul to be worthy of making supplication to 
God, and of obtaining the fruit of our request. It also enables us to 
appease God by faith and good works.” (S. Eucher.) 

‘‘‘You have a church, a Sacrifice that is made perfect, the prayers 
of the Fathers; you have the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit, the 
memories of the martyrs, a congregation of saints, and many other 
things that can recall you from your sins to justice.” (S. Chrys.) 

“All the unclean and infamous flock to the church with hardly any 
reverence. It is well to go to church; but we should go there to pray, 
to appease the anger of God; and we should not go from the church 
into the occasion of sin, to offend God.” (Salvian) 

2. But in vain would you come to the church with the most perfect 
faith, with the most respectful fear, and with the purest heart, if you 
are not careful to act under the influence of that faith while you re¬ 
main there. That faith should manifest itself by the most profound 
recollection and silence, by the most edifying modesty, by acts of re¬ 
ligion best suited to glorify God and to make ourselves worthy of His 
favors. Never forget this advice of the Apostle: 

“Let your modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh.” 
(Philip, iv, 5) 

It would be of very little advantage to observe the most edifying 
exterior modesty, if your minds and hearts are not united to God by 
interior acts of religion. God is a Spirit, and He wishes to be adored 
in spirit and in truth. You must therefore banish all voluntary dis¬ 
tractions, lest you incur the reproach: 

“This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far 
from Me.” (Mark vii, 6) 

We should go out of the church in a respectful manner, with feelings 
of piety and gratitude, and determined to preserve in our hearts the 
sentiments with which the Lord has inspired us. 

“My house is desolate, and you make haste every man to his own 
house.” (Aggeus i, 9) 

“My eyes shall be open, and My ears attentive to the prayer of him 
that shall pray in this place.” (2 Paral. vii, 15) 

“That Thy eyes may be open upon this house night and day; upon 
the house of which Thou hast said: My name shall be there: that 
Thou mayest hearken to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth in this 
place to Thee.” (3 Kings viii, 29) 

“Adore ye the Lord in His holy court.” (Ps. xxviii, 2) 

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I 
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Ps. 
xxvi, 4) 


HOLY DISPOSITIONS 643 

“I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy house, and the place where 
Thy glory dwelleth.” (Ps. xxv, 8) 

“We have received Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy temple.” 
(Ps. xlvii, io) 

“We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house; holy is Thy 
temple.” (Ps. lxiv, 5) 

“How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. My soul long- 
eth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. . . . Blessed are they that 
dwell in Thy house, O Lord.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 2-5) 

“The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up.” (Ps. lxviii, 10) 

“If they shall pray to Thee in this place, . . . forgive the sins of 
Thy servants, and teach them the good way, in which they may walk. 
(2 Paral. vi, 26, 27) 

“I will bring them into My holy mount, and will make them joyful 
in My house of prayer.” (Is. lvi, 7) 

“Their holocausts and their victims shall please Me upon my altar: 
for My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations. 
(Ibid.) 

“Visit the church as you would visit Heaven itself, and do not say 
or do there anything that savors of earth.” (S. Nilus) 

“I grieve much for our Christian brethren who wish so to enter the 
church, as to have the body there, but the heart elsewhere.” (S. Aug.) 

“They come to the church with one sin, and that venial, and they 
leave it with many sins.” (S. Ambr.) 

“They wish to make our religion pagan.” (S. Jerome) 

“We who sin in matters of religion, mock God under the cloak of 
religion.” (Salvian) 


Divisions 

I 

1. The profanation of churches is of its own nature an enormous crime 

It is in our churches that God specially dwells; it is in these holy 
places that He listens more favorably to our prayers; it is in these 
venerable sanctuaries that he distributes with prodigality His favors 
and graces: three advantageous prerogatives that aggravate the crime 
of the profaner. What does the impious profaner do? 

1°. He violates the respect due to the Divine Majesty; 

2 0 . He despises God’s promises; 

He ignores His benefits; , . 

Three outrages that render the crime of profanation very heinous 

in its nature. 



644 RESPECT IN THE CHURCH 

2. The profanation of churches is very baneful in its effects 

i°. Because of the hardness of heart into which those who are guilty 
of such irreverence generally fall; 

2°. Because of the evils, even temporal, which these crimes draw 
down on an entire people. 

3°. Because of the injury they do to faith; that is to say, the pro- 
faner ruins himself, he ruins others, and he brings religion into 
disrepute. 


II 

1. There is nothing holier than our churches, because of their con¬ 
secration, of the Sacraments administered in them, of the august Sac¬ 
rifice therein offered up, of the divine praises there sung, of the graces 
and favors received in them, of the word of God preached, and the 
pardon of sins obtaind in them. 

2. There is nothing profaned more scandalously than churches, by 
the want of reverence shown in them, the conversations that take place, 
and the sins committed in them. 


cv 


TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE 
or 

TRUE AND FALSE DEVOTION 

“By their fruits you shall know them.” (Matth. vii, 16) 

The Son of God, knowing that false teachers would strive to destroy 
His doctrine, warned His disciples to beware of false prophets, who 
deceive people by an appearance of piety, but inwardly are ravening 
wolves. As it is not always easy to know these false prophets, Christ 
gives us a mark by which they may be distinguished: “By their fruits 
you shall know them.” By this mark we can not only discern true and 
false prophets, but also true and false Christians. Let us examine: 
I. What are the qualities of true virtue; II. What are the defects of 
that virtue which is only apparent, the virtue of the Pharisee and 
the hypocrite. 


I. WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF TRUE VIRTUE? 

Whoever wishes to apply himself to the work of his salvation, should 
not be content with appearing virtuous, he should be so in reality. 

“We should cultivate virtue itself, not the appearance of virtue.” 
(Lact.) 

But our virtue, to be real, and to help us to gain Heaven, must pos¬ 
sess three qualities; it must be (i) sincere and entire, (2) humble, 
(3) constant and persevering. 

1. It must be sincere 

It is not sufficient that we have a virtuous appearance, the virtue 
must be interior also; it must spring from the heart, and have its origin 

and guiding principle in charity. , 

“Whatever is commanded is established in chanty alone. (b. 

not enough to practise a certain virtue for which we have an 
inclination; we must practise all virtues. You say you are not a 

645 


646 


TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE 


miser, not a libertine; but you cherish a hatred against your neighbor; 
hence your virtue is not entire, not perfect. 

“[I beseech you, brethren] that you may abound in every good 
work.” (2 Cor. ix, 8) 

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is 
become guilty of all.” (Jas. ii, 10) 

“That you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.” (Jas. 
b 4 ) 

“All the glory of the king’s daughter is within.” (Ps. xliv, 14) 
“The law of his God is in his heart.” (Ps. xxxvi, 31) 

“Thy law in the midst of my heart.” (Ps. xxxix, 9) 

“The Lord beholdeth the heart.” (1 Kings xvi, 7) 

“The hour cometh . . . when the true adorers shall adore the Father 
in spirit and in truth. God is a spirit, and they that adore Him, must 
adore Him in spirit and in truth.” (John iv, 23, 24) 

“There is no one so foolish as to believe that he complies with the 
law of God by doing outwardly with the hands those things which God 
commands, unless such things are done at the same time in the 
heart.” (S. Aug.) 

“What is worship of Him, but love of Him?” (Id.) 

“True piety is true worship of God.” (Id.) 

“Devotion is the fervor of a good will, which the mind, not wishing 
to repress, manifests by certain signs.” (Cassian) 

“First comes the virtue of devotion, the foundation of the rest, and 
deservedly required by God of Abraham.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Spiritual sweetness renders carnal pleasures insipid. The pleasures 
of earth become tasteless to him who has tasted those of Heaven. He 
whose heart is fixed on eternal joys despises all transitory things.” 
(S. Bern.) 

2. Our virtue should he humble and without ostentation. 

We should edify our neighbors by our good example. “That they 
may glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matth. v, 16) : but we 
must not do our good works before men for the purpose of being seen, 
praised, and applauded by them. Let your good works appear in public, 
but let your intention remain secret. 

“But let the work so appear in public that the intention may remain 
hidden.” (S. Greg.) 

“Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by 
them; otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is 
in Heaven. Therefore, when thou dost an alms-deed, sound not a 


647 


QUALITIES OF TRUE VIRTUE 

trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do . . . that they may be hon¬ 
ored by men: Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” 
(Matth. vi, i, 2) 

“Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the 
sinner move me.” (Ps. xxxv, 12) 

“Many that were rich cast in much [into the treasury] and there 
came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites . . . and Jesus 
saith to His disciples: Amen, I say to you, this poor widow hath 
cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all 
they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all 
she had, even her whole living.” (Mark xii, 41-44) 

“For Thou art the glory of their strength.” (Ps. lxxxviii, 18) 
“Without true piety and religion every good quality, however praise¬ 
worthy, is infected with pride and dies.” (S. Aug.) 

“I do not condemn those who chastise their body; but Satan some¬ 
times deceives the imprudent by a thousand stratagems.” (S. Cypr.) 


3. It should he constant and persevering 

The third quality of true virtue is perseverance. Let neither prom¬ 
ises, nor threats, nor prosperity, nor adversity, have power to 
turn you aside from the right way. Never relax your efforts; for 
God will reward those virtues only that will have been solid and per¬ 
severing. 

“My beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not 
in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. xv, 58) 

“He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” (Matth. 


xxiv, 13) . 111 

“I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou 

canst not bear them that are evil ... and thou hast patience, and 
hast endured for My name, and hast not fainted. But I have some¬ 
what against thee, because thou hast left thy first charity. Be mindful, 
therefore, from whence thou art fallen; and do penance, and do the 
first works. Or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out 
of its place.” (Apoc. ii, 2-5) 

“I have run the way of Thy commandments, when ihou didst en¬ 
large my heart.” (Ps. cxviii, 32) Q , 

“Religiousness shall keep and justify the heart. . (Eccli. 1, 10) 
“Godliness is profitable to all things.” (1 Tim. iv, 8) 

“The path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards and increas¬ 
ed! even to perfect day.” (Prov. iv, 18) 


648 


TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE 


II. DEFECTS OF VIRTUE WHICH IS ONLY APPARENT 

Notice in the virtue of the Pharisees three defects, which are op¬ 
posed to the qualities we have assigned to true virtue: (I) It was not 

real, but only exterior; (2) it was not humble, but full of pride and 
ostentation; (3) it was not constant and uniform, but a thing of fancy 
and caprice. Let us see if our virtue is not subject to these same 
defects. 


1. The virtue of the Pharisees was purely exterior 

They gave all their care to the outward appearance and did not trouble 
themselves about their dispositions. 

“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like 
to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but 
within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness. So you 
also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full 
of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matth. xxiii, 27, 28) 

“Son of man, dost thou see, thinkest thou, what these are doing ? . . . 
Dig in the wall ... go in and see the wicked abominations.” 
(Ezech. viii, 6-9) 

Is not our virtue of this character? Our exterior is indeed com¬ 
posed, but do our interior dispositions correspond to our exterior 
appearance ? 

“This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far 
from Me.” (Matth. xv, 8) 

“Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, . . . 
having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power 
thereof.” (2 Tim. iii, 2, 5) 

“It is indeed a monstrous thing to have the beauty of a dove and 
the mind of a dog; to be a lamb in mildness of profession, to be in¬ 
teriorly a wolf, to be a Nero at heart, and to appear as a Cato. Thus 
it can well be said that a new monster, a new beast, is formed out of 
opposite and different natures.” (S. Jerome) 

“Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for your 
tradition?” (Matth. xv, 3) 

“Some carry their devotion in their books only, some in pictures, 
and some in outward signs and figures. Some have Me on their lips, 
but very little in their hearts.” {Imit., B. 3, c. 4) 

2. The virtue of the Pharisees was full of ostentation 

In their good works they sought only the esteem of men. 

“All their works they do for to be seen of men.” (Matth. xxiii, 5) 

But when people are influenced by such a motive, their piety is only 


DEFECTS OF VIRTUE 


649 


a proud piety, which is an abomination before God. Nevertheless, is 
not this Pharisaical piety still found among Christians? Are there 
not many who are almost always influenced by vain-glory and self- 
interest in the good works they do? You give alms readily; but if 
you were not seen by any one, would you give assistance with the same 
alacrity? In acting through vain-glory or ostentation, you lose the 
fruit and the reward of your good works; you place your soul in 
danger, by making a bad use of a means which should help you in the 
work of your salvation. 

“Conflicts of men corrupted in mind . . . supposing gain to be god¬ 
liness. But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Tim. vi, 


5, 6) 

“It is a grave injustice when he who is wicked strives to show that 
others are wicked also in order that he himself may not appear so 
bad, because he has shown that others are not saints.” (S. Greg.) 

“Woe to you Pharisees! ... You tell what you have given, and I 
tell what you have stolen; you remember those you have fed, and do 
not call to mind those you have slain.” (S. Aug.) 

The virtue of the Pharisees was one of fancy and caprice; it was 
only their inclination, pride, ambition, or some other human motive, 
that made them act. Hence that distinction which they made between 
the great and the unimportant commandments. Hence the false in¬ 
terpretations of the law, which made them say that one might hate 
one’s enemies, that homicide and adultery were forbidden, but that 
one could indulge without scruple in the thoughts and desires of these 

vices. . 

“In vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments 

of men.” (Matth. xv, 9) p „ 

“They walk in a way that is not good after their own thoughts. 


Have'y 0111 ’ virtues the same source as those of the Pharisees? Do 
you act through caprice, inclination, and passion? If that is so, your 
virtues are false virtues, they are useless in the work of your sal- 


“Unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and 
Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matth. 

* “These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those un¬ 
done.” (Matth. xxiii, 23) . 

“It grieves me much that many things which are of importance ac¬ 
cording to the Sacred Scriptures, are not observed with sufficient care, 
and are spoken of as of little moment.” (S. Aug.) 

“This is perfect justice, to have a greater love for the more excellent 


650 TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE 

things, and a lesser love for those that are not so much to be desired.” 
(Id.) 

“Whatever you offer is unacceptable, if you neglect that to which 
you are bound.” (S. Bern.) 

If your virtue is not entire, interior, humble, and above all, solid, 
constant, and persevering: 

“Your strength shall be as the ashes of tow, and your work as a 
spark; and both shall burn together, and there shall be none to quench 
it.” (Is. i, 31) 

“They [the just] shall go from virtue to virtue.” (Ps. lxxxiii, 8) 
“He that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let him 
be sanctified still.” (Apoc. xxii, 11) 

“How great is the multitude of Thy sweetness, O Lord, which Thou 
hast hidden for them that fear Thee.” (Ps. xxx, 20) 

“They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house; and Thou 
shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure.” (Ps. xxxv, 9) 


Divisions 

I 

Qualities of True Piety: 

The piety of the Pharisees was a false piety; ours should be solid 
and real. In order to be solid and real, our piety should be, (1) entire, 
(2) disinterested, (3) interior. 

1. Our piety should be entire, that is, it should include all things, 
both great and small, all precepts, both general and particular. 

2. It should be disinterested. The Pharisees were guided in their 
simulated piety by two kinds of interests: they desired to be honored 
and to be abundantly provided with everything that could contribute 
to the comforts of life. But this mercenary and selfish piety is crim¬ 
inal in the sight of God, and hateful to men. 

3. It should be interior. The piety of the Pharisees was only a 
superficial piety, showing itself in the face and on the lips, but having 
no place in the heart. It is the heart which God demands from man; 
and except the heart, what is there in man that is worthy of God ? 

II 

The virtue of the Pharisees was not entire, it was only a divided 
virtue; their virtue was not interior, it was only apparent: two defects 
which caused Christ to condemn it, and which, alas! are found only 
too often in the virtue of many Christians. 



DEFECTS OF VIRTUE 


651 

Virtue, then, in order to be real, should be (1) entire, (2) interior. 
Entire, in order to fulfil the whole law, interior, in order to observe 
the spirit of the law. 


Ill 

1. Devotion (virtue) is not real if it is not in the heart. This truth 
is unquestionable: “They must adore Him in spirit and in truth.” 
(John iv, 24). Without that, it is dissimulation and hypocrisy, which 
are abominable in the sight of God. 

2. Devotion is not really in the heart if it is not manifested by 
exterior worship, if we do not acquit ourselves outwardly of the duties 
and practices of piety, to which Religion obliges us. 

3. Devotion is neither pleasing to God nor edifying to our neighbor 
if it is not proportioned to our state and condition of life. 


CVI 


FALSE CONSCIENCE 

“Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” (i Thess. v, 21) 

The Apostles, preaching the truths which the Holy Ghost had taught 
them, purified the world from its errors, banished its idolatry, and re¬ 
formed its morals. We have received through the Apostles that holy 
religion, that pure morality; but if religion is preserved among us in 
its integrity, has not morality lost much of its purity in the heart of 
man? But this disorder has come only from the false conscience 
which men have made for themselves, and which they still make every 
day regarding the principles of Christian morality. I. What is the 
source of a false conscience? II. What are the remedies for it? 


I. THE SOURCES OF A FALSE CONSCIENCE? 

Conscience, which, S. Thomas says, is the science of the heart, is 
an interior light that shows us the good to be done or the evil to be 
avoided in certain circumstances. Conscience is, as it were, an appli¬ 
cation which each one makes to himself of the law of God, in order 
to learn what is permitted or forbidden by this divine law. It is there¬ 
fore necessary that this application of the law should be just, and that 
it should be made with judgment and prudence. We are not permitted 
to act against conscience. 

“He that discerneth, if he eat, is condemned; because not of faith. 
For all that is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. xiv, 23) 

It is not, however, lawful to follow every kind of conscience, for 
there are false consciences. 

“There is a way that seemeth to a man right; and the ends thereof 
lead to death.” (Prov. xvi, 25) 

But it is necessary to find out the source of this false conscience, so 
as to avoid its dangers and perils. The ordinary sources of false con¬ 
science are: (1) the errors of the mind, (2) the passions of the 
heart, (3) the customs and usages of the world. 

1. Errors of the mind 

If scrupulous persons sometimes believe that a thing which is really 

652 


SOURCES OF A FALSE CONSCIENCE 653 

forbidden, is permitted, their error cannot be voluntary, nor liable to 
punishment. 

“If you were blind, you should not have sin.” (John ix, 41) 

“If our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards 
God.” (1 John iii, 21) 

But how many Christians there are with a lax conscience—a con¬ 
science that comes from an error into which they voluntarily fall, from 
culpable ignorance, from false principles which people make for them¬ 
selves ! 

There are, it is true, sinners who offend God through pure 
malice and without remorse. But how many more are there who, 
because of a false conscience, believe many things to be permitted 
which are in reality forbidden! How many who evade being in¬ 
structed in their duties lest they should have to fulfil them! How 
many who do not wish to remove certain well-founded doubts, through 
fear of being obliged to discharge an obligation which puts a restraint 
on their liberty, to make restitution which would cause them in¬ 
convenience. 

“He would not understand that he might do well.” (Ps. xxxv, 4) 

“Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.” (Job 
xxi, 14) 

“The gentiles show the work of the law written in their hearts.” 
(Rom. ii, 15) 

“So that they are inexcusable.” (Rom. i, 20) 

“Having faith and a good conscience, which some rejecting, have 
made shipwreck concerning the faith.” (1 Tim. i, 19) 

“Let no man pretend that he neglects virtue in ignorance, for he has 
a sufficient teacher in conscience.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. The passions of the heart 

The strong uncontrolled feelings of the heart produce numberless 
errors in questions of morality and also of faith. From the moment 
that a man’s feelings carry him away, he always decides in his own 
favor. Thus, envy or revenge covers itself with the cloak of zeal, in 
order to ruin an enemy ; pleasure causes a man to consider as innocent 
all sinful indulgences; the fear of putting himself to inconvenience 
makes him break the laws of the Church, fasting and . abstinence; 
covetousness renders him hard towards the poor, and unjust, on the 
pretext of prudence or economy for the future. 

“There is no one who, when engaged in evil, thinks there is good 
in it but he contrives the occasions; yet although he may explain 
away his crime by words, still he can never escape from his con¬ 
science.” (S. Chrys.) 


654 


FALSE CONSCIENCE 


3. Worldly customs and usages 

Into what errors does not a false conscience, strengthened by cus¬ 
tom and usage, cause people to fall? We must live in the world, they 
say, and therefore we must adopt its customs. Society requires us to 
avoid singularity; why should we not do what others do ? Hence they 
do not scruple to pass their time in idleness, in plays, in pleasure- 
parties, because they see many others acting in the same way. 

“They were mingled among the heathens, and learned their 
works, . . . and it became a stumbling-block to them.” (Ps. cv, 35) 

“In process of time, wicked custom prevailing, this error was kept 
as a law.” (Wis. xiv, 16) 

“The laws of people are vain.” (Jer. x, 3) 

“You have made void the commandments of God for your tradi¬ 
tion.” (Matth. xv, 6) 

“Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an 
enemy of God.” (Jas. iv, 4) 

“Custom without truth is the old age of error; therefore, having 
abandoned error, let us conform to truth.” (S. Cypr.) 

“When sins, however great and foul they may be, become habitual, 
they are considered as of little or no importance.” (S. Aug.) 

“Woe to you, flood of human custom! Who withstands you? 
How long will you not be dried up? (/ck) 

“You attend to what another does, not to what God orders you to 
do; you judge yourself in comparison with the life of one who is worse, 
not with that of one who is better.” (S. Bern.) 


I. WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES FOR A FALSE CONSCIENCE? 

Since error, passion, and custom are the sources of false conscience, 
let us oppose: (1) to error, the lamp of a conscience upright and 
enlightened; (2) to passion, a sincere desire to please God and to 
observe His holy law; (3) to worldly custom, the example of good 
and pious people. 

1. Conscience is as the eye of our soul , in as much as it makes us see 
the good we should do and the evil we should avoid 

“If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. But if 
thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be darksome. If then the light 
that is in thee be darkness, the darkness itself how great shall it be?” 
(Matth. vi, 22, 23) 

“Take heed that the light which is in thee, be not darkness.” 
(Luke xi, 35) 


REMEDIES FOR A FALSE CONSCIENCE 


655 


In order, therefore, to avoid the errors of a false conscience you 
must seek the light which directs your steps in the way of salvation. 

“In all thy works let the true word go before thee, and steady coun¬ 
sel before every action.” (Eccli. xxxvii, 20) 

Following the example of the Royal Prophet we must beg of God: 

“Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths.” (Ps. 
xxiv, 4) 

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths.” (Ps. 
cxviii, 105) 

“As we know not what to do, we can only turn our eyes to Thee.” 
(2 Paral. xx, 12) 

After having besought God to enlighten you, consult your faith, 
read the Gospel. Call to mind its maxims on all occasions when there 
is question of deciding how to act. An erroneous conscience tells you, 
for example, that under certain pretexts you can maintain an intimacy 
with some one who is dear or useful to you. But the Gospel tells you: 

“If thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.” 
(Matth. xviii, 9) 

The passion for worldly goods tells you that you can acquire them 
by means which appear legitimate to you, but which the law condemns. 
Remember the words of the Gospel: 

“Blessed are the poor.” (Matth. v, 3) 

“Woe to you that are rich.” (Luke vi, 24) 

“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer 


the loss of his own soul?” (Matth. xvi, 26) 

The passion of revenge tells you that you are bound in honor to 
obtain satisfaction for an insult. But what does the Gospel tell you? 

“If thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that 
thy brother hath anything against thee; leave there thy offering be¬ 
fore the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother.” (Matth. 
v, 23, 24) 

“Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” (Matth. 


vi, 1 2) 

“To no man rendering evil for evil.” (Rom. xn, 17) 

Faith,—the Gospel,—behold the lamp that should enlighten us. But 
as we can deceive ourselves even in the application which we should 
make of the maxims taught us by Faith, it is well to consult expe¬ 
rienced men, enlightened in the ways of God and of holy life, men of 
safe, and not loose principles. 

“Lean not upon thy own prudence.” (Prov. 111, 5) 

“Thus saith the Lord: Stand you on the ways, and see, and ask for 
the old paths, which is the good way, and walk ye in it.” (Jer. vi, 16) 
“By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. (Prov. xvi, 6) 


656 


FALSE CONSCIENCE 


2. When you have taken all these precautions, to form your conscience 

according to the maxims of Faith, make a firm and sincere 
resolution to observe the law of God, to sacrifice your 
pleasures and your interests to this divine law, 
to avoid everything that has even the 
appearance of evil 

“Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. From all appear¬ 
ance of evil refrain yourselves.” (i Thess. v, 21, 22) 

“It is characteristic of pure hearts to perceive faults where there 
are none.” (S. Greg.) 

Then you will take the better part in the things which you doubt are 
permitted or forbidden. You will take the surest part, remembering 
that: 

“No security is too great when eternity is at stake.” (S. Greg.) 

Ah! how powerful is the thought of eternity in influencing us to 
observe the law of God rather than give way to our passions! 
Strengthen yourselves, then, with this salutary thought, when you have 
to decide, and when you doubt whether the action is good or bad, act 
as if you were to die after having done it. Say to yourselves with a 
great saint: 

“What bearing has this on eternity? If you were to die immediately, 
would you do this?” 

“In every work of thine regard thy soul in faith: for this is the 
keeping of the commandments.” (Eccli. xxxii, 27) 

Fear lest you be obliged to say at the moment of death: 

“Therefore we have erred from the way of truth.” (Wis. v, 6) 

“Who is more dead than he who carries fire in his bosom, sin in his 
conscience, and neither feels it, nor shakes it off, nor trembles with 
fear?” (S. Bern.) 

3. After having banished error from your mind and passion from 
your heart, instead of going with the stream of custom, by 

which you so rashly justify yourselves in order to tran¬ 
quillize your conscience, imitate pious people, 
and take the example of the saints 
as your model 

See what they did, what virtues they practised. They walked in the 
narrow way, they shunned the broad and easy road that leads to 
eternal ruin. Avoid this road as they did. You hope for the same 
reward, you should fear the same chastisement; and therefore you 
should take the same precautions to merit the one and to avoid the 
other. Remember that the world has been condemned by Jesus Christ, 


REMEDIES FOR A FALSE CONSCIENCE 657 

that the maxims of Christ are opposed to those of the world. It is 
not a safe rule, then, to follow worldly maxims. 

“Can you not do what the saints have done?” (S. Aug.) 

“I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do 
also.” (John xiii, 15) 

“Make all things according to the pattern which was shown thee on 
the mount.” (Heb. viii, 5) 

“Christ called Himself the truth, not the custom.” (Tert.) 

“Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou 
yield in judgment to the opinion of the most part, to stray from the 
truth.” (Exod. xxiii, 2) 

“Be not conformed to this world.” (Rom. xii, 2) 

“We have no such custom nor the church of God.” (1 Cor. xi, 16) 
“If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 
(Gal. i, 10) 

“Who shall rise up for me against the evil-doers? Or who shall 
stand with me against the workers of iniquity?” (Ps. xciii, 16) 

“Are the sins of others your virtues? Will it console you in your 
misery to have many others like yourself? (S. Jerome) 

“Live with the few and you will merit to be found with the few in 
the kingdom of God.” (Cassian) 

“Let not the crowd of careless people persuade us to lead careless 
lives, and let not the errors of others lead us to lose our souls.” (S. 
Eucher.) 


Division 

1. A false conscience is easily formed. . 

In order to act we must form our conscience, and everything that is 

not according to conscience is sin.” “All that is not of faith is sin. 
(Rom xiv 23) But it does not follow that everything which is ac¬ 
cording to’conscience is free from sin, because there is a conscience 
that is not right, a false conscience. It is very easy to form such a 
conscience, (i) in all conditions of life, because of depraved human 
nature (2) particularly in the more exalted positions, because of cer¬ 
tain interests that are difficult to reconcile with the law of God. 

2. It is dangerous to follow a false conscience. 

Every error is dangerous, especially in matters of morality; but there 
is none more full of danger than that which is attached to the rule 
itself of morality, which is conscience, because with a false conscience, 



658 


FALSE CONSCIENCE 


i°. One commits all kinds of sins; 

2°. One commits sin boldly and tranquilly; 

3°. One commits it, in some sense, without being able to avoid do¬ 
ing so, and without hope of a remedy. 

3. False conscience is a vain excuse for justifying oneself before God. 

If our errors were involuntary and in good faith, we could avail 
ourselves of a false conscience as a lawful excuse. But I maintain 
that ignorance, and consequently false conscience, is one of the most 
frivolous pretexts: 

i°. Because there is now so much light, so much instruction, that we 
cannot suppose there could exist a conscience in error, and at the same 
time in good faith; 

2 0 . Because there is no false conscience which God may not forth¬ 
with confound by another upright conscience, which rests in us, or 
which, although outside of us, rises up against us and in spite of us. 


evil 


A GOOD CONSCIENCE 


I. THERE IS NOTHING THAT BRINGS MORE HAPPINESS AND CONSOLATION 
THAN THE PEACE AND TRANQUILLITY OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE 

“Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; he shall delight exceed¬ 
ingly in His commandments.” (Ps. cxi, i) 

“A secure mind is like a continual feast.” (Prov. xv, 15). 

“The wicked man fleeth, when no man pursueth; but the just, bold 
as a lion, shall be without dread.” (Prov. xxviii, 1) 

“Riches are good to him that hath no sin in his conscience.” (Eccli. 

xiii, 30) . 

“There is no pleasure above the joy of the heart.” ^(Eccli. xxx, 16) 
“Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience.” (2 Cor. i, 12) 
“A good conscience does not seek to avoid the eyes of any one. 
(S. Greg.) 

“‘Happy the conscience which, in the time of affliction, remembers 

good works.” (S. Jerome) . , 

“So great is the splendor of virtue, that peace of conscience and 

security of innocence make life happy.” (S. Ambr.) 

“You will find truer and more pleasing joys in a good conscience in 
the midst of troubles, than in a bad conscience in the midst of de¬ 
lights.” (S. Aug.) . , - 

“The approbation of him who praises does not heal a bad conscience, 

nor does reproach wound a good one. (I^-) . 

“What is more pleasing than a good conscience? which if it were 
bad instead of being good, would cause affliction, and make all things 

bl “o' blessed ^purity of conscience! O sweet delight of a holy con- 

science!” (S. Bern.) . 

“A good conscience is great wealth. In reality what is there 

grander or more pleasing? What more peaceful or secure on earth? 
A good conscience fears neither the loss of goods, nor insulting words, 
nor bodily suffering. (Id.) 

“A good conscience will be without fear when the body dies; with¬ 
out fear, when the soul is presented before God; without fear, when 

659 


66 o 


A GOOD CONSCIENCE 


both body and soul are placed before the dread tribunal of the just 
Judge on the last day.” (Id.) 

“The opinion of good men along with the testimony of conscience is 
sufficient against those who speak evil.” (Id.) 

“He whom conscience does not torment reposes in peace in his 
house.” (Richard of S. Victor) 

“If there be joy in this world, certainly the man whose heart is pure 
possesses it.” (Imit., B. 2, c. 4) 

“Keep a good conscience, and thou shalt always have gladness. A 
good conscience can bear very much, and is exceeding joyful in the 
midst of adversity. . . . Sweetly wilt thou rest if thy heart blame thee 
not.” (Imit., B. 2, c. 6) 

“As virtue itself is a reward for us, so profligacy is the punishment 
of the wicked.” (Boethius.) 


II. THERE IS NOTHING MORE BITTER AND INSUPPORTABLE THAN THE 
REPROACHES, THE REMORSE, AND THE TORMENT OF A GUILTY 
CONSCIENCE 

“Thou shalt fear night and day. ... In the morning thou shalt 
say: Who will grant me evening? and at evening: Who will grant 
me morning? for the fearfulness of thy heart wherewith thou shalt 
be terrified.” (Deut. xxviii, 66, 67) 

“I will send fear in their hearts. . . . The sound of a flying leaf 
shall terrify them, and they shall flee as it were from the sword.” 
(Levit. xxvi, 36) 

“Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; I am turned in my 
anguish while the thorn is fastened.” (Ps. xxxi, 4) 

“For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.” (Ps. 

1 , 5 ) 

“There is no peace in my bones because of my sins.” (Ps. xxxvii, 
4 ) 

“For the Lord will give thee a fearful heart, and languishing eyes, 
and a soul consumed with pensiveness.” (Deut. xxviii, 65) 

“Whereas wickedness is fearful, it beareth witness of its condemna¬ 
tion; for a troubled conscience always forecasteth grievous things.” 
(Wis. xvii, 10) 

“The sound of dread is always in his ears; and when there is peace 
he always suspecteth treason.” (Job xv, 21) 

“Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy apostacy shall re¬ 
buke thee.” (Jer. ii, 19) 

“Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil.” 
(Rom. ii, 9) 


REMORSE OF A GUILTY CONSCIENCE 


661 


“The evil-doer can escape from the judgment of men, but not from 
that of conscience/’ (S. Greg.) 

“What will it profit you if all praise you, but your conscience ac¬ 
cuses you? Or what harm will it do you if all speak against you, and 
your conscience alone defends you?” (Id.) 

“No one can commit a sin with impunity, since the guilt itself is the 
punishment.” (S. Jerome) 

“What punishment is graver than the wound of conscience? Is not 
this more to be avoided than loss of fortune, exile, sorrow, sickness, 
death?” (S. Ambr.) 

“What judgment is stricter than that of one’s conscience, in which 
each one is both accused and accuser ? He who is displeased with him¬ 
self has all things opposed to him; he both accuses and bears witness 
against himself; and he who oppresses and torments himself finds no 
means of escape. (Id.) 

“Thou hast decreed, O Lord, that every inordinate affection should 
be itself a punishment, and so it is.” (S. Aug.) 

“Every evil-minded man is an evil to himself; he must needs be 
tormented; he is a torment to himself; he whom his conscience tor¬ 
ments is his own punishment.” (Id.) 

“O man, you can avoid whatever you wish except your own con¬ 
science; you have no more inward place to which to fly from your 
conscience if your sins cause you remorse.” (Id.) 

“The tribunal of the Judge is in your heart: God sits there, and 
there are present the accusing conscience, the executioner, fear.” (Id.) 

“What the sinner suffers here is the beginning of the divine ven¬ 


geance.” (Id.) 

“Just as no one can fly from himself, so neither can he escape the 
sentence of his interior court.” (S. Chrys.) 

“This tribunal is not bribed by money, nor satisfied with flattery; 
because it is divine, and is imposed by God on our necks.” (Id.) 

“The sinner carries his conscience around with him like an execu¬ 
tioner, continually gnawing and scourging him. God fixes it in the 
mind ever watchful and on the alert. Condemned by his own judg¬ 
ment of himself he trembles at everything, his shadow, the walls, the 

very stones speak to him.” (Id.) „ 

“A guilty conscience is a certain hell and a prison of the soul. (b. 

B6 “As a river, wherever it flows, pierces through the ground, so a bad 
conscience does not cease gnawing in secret.” (Id.) 

“Conscience demands an account of the past, objects to the present, 
and takes precautions against the future.” (S. Bonav.) 

“There is no punishment graver than that of conscience. Do you 


662 


A GOOD CONSCIENCE 


wish never to be sad ? Lead a good life. A peaceful mind checks sad¬ 
ness; a good life has unceasing joy; but a bad conscience is always in 
pain;’ (S. Isid.) 

“A bad conscience is always timid and uneasy. . . . The wicked 
have never true gladness, nor feel peace within; because there is no 
peace for the wicked, saith the Lord.” ( Imit B. 2, c. 6) 

“Return, ye transgressors, to the heart.” (Is. xlvi, 8) 


CVIII 


HYPOCRISY 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” (Matth. xxiii, 23) 

Could not this reproach of hypocrisy which the Saviour addressed 
to the Pharisees, be made with justice to a great number of Christians? 
Hypocrisy is falsehood in action: a man who is not virtuous wishes 
to appear as if he were. This vice is very common in the world. 
‘‘Although we may be free from other vices, yet there are few or none 
who are not stained with hypocrisy. ,, (S. Jerome). I. Hypocrisy 
is a most abominable vice in the sight of God; II. Hypocrisy is a vice 
that is most injurious to salvation. 


I. HYPOCRISY IS A MOST ABOMINABLE VICE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD 

The Holy Ghost teaches us in Sacred Scripture that God hates 
hypocrites; that nothing thrives well with the deceitful. He ful¬ 
minates maledictions against him who is double-hearted, two-faced: 
“Every mocker is an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. iii, 32) 

“No hypocrite shall come before His presence.” (Job xiii, 16) 
“Dissemblers and crafty men prove the wrath of God.” (Job 
xxxvi, 13) 

“The hope of the hypocrite shall perish; his folly shall not please 
him, and his trust shall be like the spider’s web.” (Job viii, 13, 14) 
“The congregation of the hypocrite is barren.” (Job xv, 34) 

“The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.” (Job xx, 5) 

“Woe to them that are of a double heart, and to wicked lips, and 
to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two 
ways.” (Eccli. ii, 14) 

“No good shall come to the deceitful son.” (Prov. xiv, 15) 

“They have spoken vain things every one to his neighbor; with de¬ 
ceitful lips and with a double heart have they spoken. May the Lord 
destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.” 

(Ps. xi, 3, 4) . 

“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut 
the kingdom of Heaven against men; for you yourselves do not enter 

663 


664 HYPOCRISY 

in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter.” (Matth. 
xxiii, 13) 

‘‘Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour 
the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you shall receive 
the greater judgment.” {Ibid., 14) 

“You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth 
your hearts; for that which is high to men is an abomination before 
God.” (Luke xvi, 15) 

“The Lord of that [wicked] servant shall come in a day that he 
hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not, and shall separate 
him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weep¬ 
ing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matth. xxiv, 50, 51) 

“Feigning long prayer: these shall receive greater damnation.” 
(Luke xx, 47) 

Let us not be astonished at the maledictions pronounced against 
hypocrites; for there is no opposition stronger than that which exists 
between God and the vice of hypocrisy. There are in God three kinds 
of truth: (1) the truth of being; He is not only truth itself, but 
also the rule and source of all truth; (2) the truth of knowledge; it 
is not enough to say that He knows all truth, if we do not add that all 
truth is such only because He judges and knows it to be so; (3) 
the truth of speech; He gives an assured and unchangeable testimony of 
all things. These things can be only as God sees them, and God can 
reveal them to us only as He knows them. But this truth, which is in 
God, is one of the perfections which He wishes us to imitate most, and 
one of which He will demand an account: 

“The Lord will require truth.” (Ps. xxx, 24) 

“[Therefore] serve the Lord in truth.” (Tob. xiv, 10) 

“Let not truth leave thee . . . and write it in the tablets of thy 
heart.” (Prov. iii, 3) 

“I know thy works that thou hast the name of being alive; and 
thou art dead.” (Apoc. iii, 1) 

There must then be three kinds of truth in the heart of man: 

1. A truth of life, by which he labors to acquire full and perfect 
virtues, by doing what he ought to do, and by making himself what he 
ought to be with regard to God. But what is more opposed to this 
character of truth than hypocrisy, which adorns the exterior only, and 
neglects the heart? 

2. A truth of justice, which consists in a sincerity, a rectitude of 
heart, that makes him give to his neighbor what the law requires him 
to give. But what is more opposed to such truth than the habitual 
care of the hypocrite to deceive his neighbor by a beautiful outward 
appearance ? 


A MOST ABOMINABLE VICE 


665 


3. A truth of testimony and speech, which consists in a man show¬ 
ing himself in his words and deeds such as he is, in living up to his 
profession, and in referring all his works to God. But what can be 
more opposed to truth of this kind than the hateful affectation of the 
hypocrite to do all things in order to please men and to be praised by 
them. Is it possible that God should not have a horror of dispositions 
and conduct so hateful? 

“The living body becomes the tomb of the dead soul.” (S. Peter 
Chrys.) 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make 
clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full 
of rapine and uncleanness.” (Matth. xxiii, 25) 

“Simulated justice is not justice, but a twofold injustice, because 
it is injustice and hypocrisy.” (S. Aug.) 

“They say and do not . . . And all their works they do for to be 
seen of men.” (Matth. xxiii, 3 & 5) 

“You are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men 
beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones and of all filthiness.” 
(Matth. xxiii, 27) 

“Come not to Him [the Lord] with a double heart. Be not a hypo¬ 
crite in the sight of men, and let not thy lips be a stumbling-block to 
thee.” (Eccli. i, 36) 

“There is one that humbleth himself wickedly, and his interior is 
full of deceit.” (Eccli. xix, 23) 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, 
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matth. vii, 15) 

“Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power 
thereof. Now these avoid.” (2 Tim. iii, 5) 

“Where hypocrisy is, there is deceit.” (S. Aug.) 

“Hypocrites are called pretenders because they do not seek to be 
just, but only wish to seem to be.” (Id-) 

“Whoever wishes to seem to be what he is not, is a hypocrite.” 

(Id.) 

“It is a great thing to be a Christian, not merely to seem to be one.” 
(S. Jerome.) 

“The hypocrite in all his virtues does not hope to gam anything but 
the esteem of men, the glory of praise from his betters, to be called a 
saint by all.” (S. Greg.) 

“The soul is doubly guilty if it neglects to practise virtue that gives 
it spiritual life, and strives after the appearance of virtue, under 
which it secretly lives in sin.” (S. Prosper) 

“They wish to appear virtuous, not to be so in reality. They say 
great things, but do not do even small things.” (Id.) 


666 


HYPOCRISY 


“They condemn in public those very things which they themselves 
do in secret.” (Salvian) 

“You cannot easily avoid hypocrites, as their depravity, beautified 
md adorned, lies deeply hidden under the appearance of virtue.” (S. 
Basil) 

“A hypocrite is said to be an actor, who assumes the character of 
another person on the stage.” {Id.) 

“A hypocrite shows outwardly that which he does not in reality 
possess.” (S. Greg.) 

“Hypocrites are sheep in appearance, but are in reality beasts of 
prey; they are those who wish to appear good, but not to be so; not 
to appear wicked but to be so in reality.” (S. Bern.) 

“Vice that is public is less injurious; and a good man is never de¬ 
ceived except by the appearance of virtue.” {Id.) 

‘‘Nothing destroys virtue so much as simulated virtue; for one 
flies from and avoids open wickedness as wickedness; but when 
wickedness is concealed under the appearance of virtue, it is not known 
nor guarded against, but is received as if it was virtue.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“The hypocrite does not wish to be virtuous, but only to appear so; 
the virtuous man, on the contrary, avoids appearing to be what he is 
not.” (S. Greg.) 

“The hypocrite knows how to conceal carefully what he is, and to 
seem to be what he is not; he conceals real vices and displays false 
virtues; and he pretends to shun honor so as to be more honored; for, 
as he sees he cannot gain it by openly seeking it, he takes care to 
obtain it, by pretending to shun it.” {Id.) 


II. HYPOCRISY IS A VICE THAT IS MOST INJURIOUS TO 

salvation 

To convince you of the truth of this I will explain three of the prin¬ 
cipal effects of hypocrisy: (i) it destroys true piety; (2) it destroys 
the merit of all good works; (3) it usually leads to eternal ruin. 

1. Hypocrisy destroys true piety 

True piety ought to be entire, interior, perfect, and humble. 

“That ye may abound to every good work.” (2 Cor. ix, 8) 

“Take heed that you do not your justice before men to be seen by 
them.” (Matth. vi, 1) 

But what is more opposed to these marks of true piety than hypoc¬ 
risy? In fact, hypocrisy has only the appearance of piety, not the 
reality; it applies itself to the practice of trifles and neglects what is 


HYPOCRISY INJURIOUS TO SALVATION 667 

essential; it does all its works in obedience to passion, to please men, 
and to attract their esteem. 

“Its exterior is beautiful, but its interior is foul.” (S. Aug.) 

“As it is almost the highest virtue not to deceive any one, so to de¬ 
ceive all is the lowest vice.” (Id.) 

“Comparing the two evils, it is a lighter evil to sin openly than to 
counterfeit and feign virtue.” (S. Jerome) 

“It is certain that true virtue has nothing simulated or counterfeit.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“The hypocrite makes for himself a vice of virtue, falsehood of 
truth, a sin of forgiveness.” (S. Peter Chrys.) 

“As a woman who is destitute of beauty is accustomed to resort 
to colors, pigments, and rouge; so the hypocrite who does not possess 
the beauty of true and solid virtue, assumes a certain external coun¬ 
terfeit piety, by which he retains the esteem of those who are caught 
by the false show of virtue.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

“The hypocrite has a beautiful exterior, but a foul heart; he is a 
lover of vain-glory; he has the language of the saints, but not their 
virtues.” (S. Bern.) 

“The hypocrite takes away what belongs to others, because he ap¬ 
propriates to himself the praise due to honest men.” (S. Greg.) 

“Hypocrisy is a subtle evil, a secret poison, a hidden drug, a dissimu¬ 
lation of virtues, the moth of sanctity.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. Hypocrisy destroys the merits of good works 

Works, however good they may be, if done for show, for appear¬ 
ance, if they have not God for their principle and motive, cannot 
merit Heaven. The rich people of the Gospel threw much money 
into the treasury; and yet Christ did not praise them, because by their 
large alms they sought only the esteem of men; while He. praised the 
poor widow who placed there only two mites, but who in her alms 
sought the glory of God. (Mark xii, 4 1 

“When you fasted and mourned, ... did you keep a fast unto 

Me?” (Zach. vii, 5) . , , ., , . 

“This people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips 
glorify Me, but their heart is far from Me.” (Is. xxix, 13) 

“If I give alms in order to be glorified by men, I have received my 
reward, and am called a mercenary.” (S. Jerome.) 

3. Hypocrisy usually leads to eternal ruin 

When a Christian has arrived at that state in which he covers his 
vices by the false appearance of virtue, he no longer hears the cry of 
his conscience; intoxicated by vanity and by the false praises bestowed 


668 


HYPOCRISY LEADS TO ETERNAL RUIN 


on him, he forgets the bad state in which he is and dies in his sin with 
the same assurance as if he were loaded with merits. He causes all 
that is most holy to turn to his condemnation; he profanes the Sac¬ 
raments. 

“By a cruel art it mutilates virtues by the sharp edge of virtues. A 
pestilence to be guarded against, which creates diseases out of rem¬ 
edies, turns sanctity into a crime, changes propitiation into guilt.” (S. 
Peter Chrys.) 

“In vain will he have disguised his wickedness under the mask of 
piety; this mask will fall off one day, and he will appear such as he is. 

“Depart from Me, you that work iniquity.” (Matth. vii, 23) 

“Therefore . . . the Lord shall not have mercy . . . for every one 
is a hypocrite and wicked, and every mouth hath spoken folly.” (Is. 
ix, 17) 

“The double dealer uttereth lies.” (Prov. xiv, 25) 

“A double-minded man is inconstant in all his ways.” (Jas. i, 8) 

“A hypocrite is unlike himself, inwardly he is a Herod, outwardly a 
John, the whole man untrustworthy.” (S. Bern.) 

“The hypocrite wishes to know the divine law, but not to do what it 
commands: he wishes to speak learnedly, but not to live piously.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“The flesh is worn away by fasts, the mind is inflated; we cover 
the body with poor clothes, and by the exalting of the mind we rise 
above purple; teachers of humility, leaders in pride, we hide the fangs 
of a wolf under the appearance of a sheep.” (Id.) 

“When hypocrites wish to deceive others, it is permitted by a secret 
judgment of God that they should then rather deceive themselves in¬ 
teriorly.” (Id.) 

“Who is the more impious, he who professes impiety or he who 
counterfeits sanctity?” (S. Bern.) 

“Thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins.” (Is. xliii, 24) 

“Thou thoughtest unjustly that I should be like to thee; but I will 
reprove thee, and set before thy face. Understand these things, you 
that forget God.” (Ps. xlix, 21, 22) 


Divisions 

I 


I. Unhappiness of hypocrites. 

i°. They have all the pain of virtue without having either its merit 
or its reward before God. 



HYPOCRISY INJURIOUS TO SALVATION 669 

2 °. They think only of pleasing men, whose esteem renders them 
neither better nor happier, and do not trouble themselves about the 
judgment of God, who alone can give them perfect happiness. 

3 0 . They do not always succeed in deceiving men; and as that which 
is counterfeit and simulated cannot impose on all for a long time, their 
hypocrisy, when discovered, brings on them greater confusion and con¬ 
tempt. 


2. Character of hypocrites. 

i°. They seek only the renown of virtue, and they neglect to acquire 

virtue itself. . 

2°. They reject ordinary obligations which would not sufficiently 
distinguish them from the crowd, and usually affect singularity, which 
makes them more remarkable. 

3 0 . They have in view their worldly interest only;, and if they 
practise good works, they spoil and corrupt them by their intention. 


II 

Hypocrisy of others. 

1. The libertine is not justified when, in order to strengthen him¬ 
self’ in his debauchery, he makes use of the hypocrisy of others. 

2. The cowardly Christian is weak and culpable m his weakness, 
when he is so far disturbed by the hypocrisy of others, as to depart 

farther from the ways of God. . . ,. . , r A 

, The simple and ignorant Christian is inexcusable before God 

when he allows himself to be led astray by the hypocrisy of others. 


CIX 


SICKNESS 

“Power is made perfect in infirmity.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

Sickness is a state of suffering for human nature; man, opposed to 
his own destruction, bears with pain the sorrows and infirmities that 
shorten his days. Nevertheless, by the will of God infirmities and 
sickness become for us the source of true happiness, when we know 
how to make use of them. Consider: I. The advantages of sickness; 
II. How to make good use of it. 


I. ADVANTAGES OF SICKNESS 

A life of suffering has succeeded the happiness which man enjoyed 
before his fall. Happy still to find in the punishment of his sin a 
means of atoning for it, and a remedy by which to preserve himself 
from it! For these are the two advantages which we can draw from 
sickness. If God affects us He does so, (1) to make us enter into 
ourselves and atone for our past sins; (2) to prevent us from com¬ 
mitting sin again. 

“Sickness is salutary for a twofold reason, to warn us not to com¬ 
mit sin, and to prevent us from being injured by the sins we have com¬ 
mitted/’ (S. Aug.) 

1. God wishes to make us enter into ourselves and atone for our sins 

There is nothing more suitable to lead a sinner to repentance than 
the thought of his last end. 

“Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.” (Eccli. vii, 40) 

But when does this remembrance strike one most if not during 
sickness? When in health we look on death as far off, but sickness 
announces its approach; and each one can say with the Apostle: 

“The time of my dissolution is at hand.” (2 Tim. iv, 6) 

And with King Ezechias: 

“I shall go to the gates of hell.” (Is. xxxviii, 10) 

What must the sick man do then? 

“I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 


670 


ADVANTAGES OF SICKNESS 


671 


What will his feelings then be? What have been yours? What 
have been your fears when you were sick and the priest of God said 
to you: 

“Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 6) 

Sickness, then, is profitable to the sinner because it induces him to 
make reparation for the sins he has committed by doing penance; it is, 
moreover, an excellent means of satisfying the justice of God for the 
punishment due to sin. Sin, even when pardoned, must be punished 
either in this world or in the next: such is the order established by the 
justice of God. But sickness can assist the sinner to pay the punish¬ 
ment due to his sins, because it is one of the most severe penances 
that man can undergo; and moreover, because it is the choice of God 
Himself, who chastises the sinner according to His adorable will, and 
in a more certain and profitable manner than the sinner could do. 
Let us acknowledge the goodness of God, who chastises us in this 
world in order to spare us in the next . . . because the longest sick¬ 
ness is nothing in comparison with the pains of the next life. 

“The Lord killeth and maketh alive, He bringeth down to hell, and 
bringeth back again.” (1 Kings ii, 6) 

“It was neither herb nor mollifying plaster that healed them, but 
Thy word, O Lord, which healeth all things. For it is Thou, O Lord, 
that hast power of life and death, and leadest down to the gates of 
death, and bringest back again.” (Wis. xvi, 12, 13) 

“To be born in this body of death is to begin to be sick. (b. Aug.) 


2. God wishes to prevent us from committing sin again 
Sickness then, is very beneficial in chastising us and enabling us to 
atone for our sins; it is still more so when it prevents our committing 
sin. What use do we generally make of health? Mas! It is used 
mostly to offend God. What does the Lord do to check the disorders 
that reign among men? He anticipates the evil in its source by de¬ 
priving of health those who make a bad use of it How has that 
sensual man learned the rules of temperance, of which he was before 
ignorant, if not by the illness that came upon him. 

^“The beloved grew fat and kicked; he grew fat and thick and gross,, 
he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his Saviour. 

( grievous 'sickness maketh the soul sober.” (Eccli. xxxi 2) 
God sends sickness, not to destroy the sinner, but to make h.m 

ictest is not unto death, but for the glory of God; that the 
Son of God may be glorified by it. (John xi, 4) 


672 


SICKNESS 


“Behold thou art made whole; sin no more, lest some worse thing 
happen to thee.” (John v, 14) 

“That infirmity was for health, causing more remorse than danger. 
This is what God says: I will strike, and I will heal. He struck 
by sickness, he healed by faith.” (S. Ambr.) 

“If they are in health, they will not be holy.” (Salvian) 

“Let a joyful soul exult in an afflicted body, as over a conquered 
adversary.” (Id.) 

If God sends sickness to the just, it is through an effect of His love, 
to try them, and attach them to Himself. 

“Power is made perfect in infirmity.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

“Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that tempta¬ 
tion should prove thee.” (Tob. xii, 13) 

“Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick.” (John xi, 3) 

“God knows what is for our good; let us do that only that our hearts 
may be healed from sins.” (S. Aug.) 

“Many who have recovered their health become wanton; they who 
were chaste in sickness become adulterers when restored to health. 
While sick they injured no one; having recovered their health they 
attack and oppress the innocent.” (Id.) 

“The sickness of the body is the health of the soul.” (S. Greg.) 

“The sick are to be advised to meditate on the great benefits of 
bodily illness, which both blots out the sins committed, and prevents 
the commission of others.” (Id.) 

“The mortification of the flesh sharpens the activity of the mind, 
and as the body grows weaker, the soul grows stronger; so that a cer¬ 
tain kind of life points out to me that a man is not spiritually strong.” 
(Salvian.) 

“You have never, I think, shown yourself more worthy to be the 
dwelling-place of God; the weakness of your body increases the purity 
of your heart; by the strength of your mind you have overcome the 
diseases that conquer your body.” (Id.) 

“A healthy sickness. ... by divine chastisement softens and hum¬ 
bles the heart.” (S. Bern.) 

“God, foreseeing that some would commit sin, and wishing to save 
them, afflicts them with bodily illness lest they should sin; so that it is 
better for them to be saved through illness than to lose their souls 
by remaining in health.” (Id.) 

“That is a good illness of the body which brings on the health of 
the soul.” (Id.) 

“O desirable weakness, which is compensated by the strength of 
Christ! Who will grant me not only to become weak, but to cease 


ADVANTAGES OF SICKNESS 673 

altogether to be myself, that I may become strong with the strength of 
the Lord?” (Id.) 


II. SINCE GOD AFFLICTS MEN WITH SICKNESS EITHER TO MAKE SINNERS 
ENTER INTO THEMSELVES, OR TO PROVE THE VIRTUE OF THE JUST, 

WE SHOULD, (i) ACCEPT IT IN A SPIRIT OF PENANCE; 

(2) BEAR IT WITH PATIENCE AND WITH ENTIRE 
RESIGNATION TO THE WILL OF GOD 

1. We should accept it in a spirit of penance 

What does repentance urge a sinner to do in the time of sickness? 
It urges him to adopt the quickest and most efficacious means of re¬ 
gaining the grace and friendship of God, by offering up his illness 
in atonement for the sins he has committed. Therefore at the first ap¬ 
pearance of a grave illness he should receive the Sacraments, lest he 
may not have time to do so later on. 

-Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the 
Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the 
name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, 
and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins they shall be for¬ 
given him.” (Jas. v, 14, 15) 

Those who attend the sick ought to warn them in time. 

The sick who defer placing themselves in a state of grace by postpon¬ 
ing their reception of the Sacraments, deprive themselves of the merits 

of their sufferings. . . fr . ... . 

“Have you suffered so great things in vain? (Gal. 111, 4) 

While, if we take care to be reconciled to God: 

“That which is momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for 

us an eternal weight of glory.” (2 Cor. iv, 17) 

The best use, then, which a sinner can make of his sickness, is to 
offer it to God in atonement for his sins; he will do it with all the more 
reason since he can very often say to himself . # „ (r „ 

“We deserve to suffer these things because we have sinned. (Gen. 

“Thou hast corrected man for iniquity.” (Ps. xxxviii, 12) 

“I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against 

Hl “I have^inned^ ^^and I have not received what I have deserved.” 
(Job xxxiii, 27) 

Let him say with S. Augustine: „ * \ 

“Here burn, here cut, only spare me in eternity. (b. Aug.) 


SICKNESS 


674 

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, 
for my bones are troubled.” (Ps. vi, 3) 

“From above He hath sent fire into my bones, and hath chastised 
me.” (Lament, i, 13) 

“It is better to burn in the flame of fever than in the fire that 
punishes sin.” (S. Greg.) 

“God sends us afflictions, that, as we sinned by the allurements of 
the body, we may be cleansed by its sufferings, and that our present 
pain may put an end to the life of sin.” {Ibid.) 

“By a dispensation of Providence it sometimes happens that a long- 
continued habit of vice is cured by a long sickness.” {Ibid.) 

“Every divine chastisement is either a satisfaction for sin in the 
present life, or a foretaste of the sufferings of the life to come.” 
{Ibid.) 


2. We should bear sickness patiently and with resignation 

What do you gain by giving way to impatience? Instead of curing 
you, it increases your sufferings, whilst patience softens their bitter¬ 
ness. In the one case you increase your debts, and change the rem¬ 
edy into poison; in the other, on the contrary, your turn to your profit 
what appeared to be injurious. In imitation of the Divine Master 
then say: 

“My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Never¬ 
theless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (Matth. xxvi, 39) 

“It is the Lord: let Him do what is good in His sight.” (1 Kings, 
iii, 18) 

“If we have received good things from the hands of God, why 
should we not receive evil?” (Job ii, 10) 

“Now this trial the Lord therefore permitted to happen to him, 
that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, as also of 
holy Job. (Tob. ii, 12) 

“Thou art my God; my lots are in Thy hands.” (Ps. xxx, 15, 16) 

“Be thou, O my soul, subject to God, for from Him is my patience.” 
(Ps. lxi, 6) 

“Patience hath a perfect work.” (Jas. i, 4) 

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou 
shalt glorify Me.” (Ps. xlix, 15) 

“Who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from de¬ 
struction.” (Ps. cii, 3, 4) 

“My Son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord, 
and He shall hear thee.” (Eccli. xxxviii, 19) 

“He healed many that were troubled with divers diseases.” (Mark 

h 4 ) 


TO BE BORNE PATIENTLY 675 

“Gladly will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may 
dwell in me.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

“Be content to suffer any affliction, however great, to endure any 
labor, if only you will be freed from eternal pain.” (S. Ambr.) 

“It is more perfect to bear adversity bravely and patiently, than to 
pour out your sweat in doing good works.” (S. Bonav.) 

“Where there is no patience, there is no wisdom.” (S. Aug.) 

“The true wisdom of a man is known by his patience in trials; the 
more unwise therefore any one shows himself to be, the greater proofs 
he gives of his want of patience.” (S. Greg.) 

“We can be martyrs without suffering death, if we preserve true 
patience of soul.” (Id.) 

“When God gives to any one the power to raise the dead to life, He 
gives less than when He bestows the grace to suffer patiently. For the 
miracles I would work I would be debtor to God, for my patience in 
trials Christ is Debtor to me. O wonderful thing! He both bestows 
on me the gift, and is in debt to me for what He gives.” (S. Chrys.) 

“What a wonderful thing is patience! It places the mind in a 
tranquil port, and preserves it from adverse winds and tempestuous 
waves.” (Id.) 

(Consult chapter cx, on Trials and Sufferings. 


Divisions 

I 

1. Sickness considered in relation to sinners. 
i°. It makes them enter into themselves; 

2°. It is a penance which God in His mercy imposes on them, in 
order that they may atone for their sins; 

3 0 . It is a sign that God intends to save the sinner. 

2. Sickness considered in relation to the just. 

i°. It is a sign that God loves them: “whom the Lord loveth, He 

chastiseth.” (Heb. xii, 6) . 1 . . , 

2°. It renders Christ present to them: “I am with him in tribula¬ 
tion.” (Ps. xc, 15) ... . , 

3 0 . It perfects their virtues by patience, humiliation, etc., and causes 

them to acquire new virtues. 

II 

1. Those who are impatient in sickness, 

I Commence their hell in this life, in suffering without consolation; 



676 SICKNESS 

2 0 . Increase their sins by their impatience, and make of them a 
cause of condemnation. 

2. Those who suffer patiently, 

i°. Suffer their Purgatory in this life; 

2°. Have the happiness of being made like to Him who for our 
sake made Himself a Man of sorrows. 

3 0 . Acquire infinite merits by the practise of virtues. 

Ill 

What we should do after having recovered health. 

1. We should thank God and attribute our cure to His mercy rather 
than to the medicine of the doctor. 

2. We should be faithful to the good resolutions we made during 
our sickness. 

3. We should take precautions against relapsing into sin, which has 
perhaps been the cause of our sickness. 


cx 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 

“You shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you 
shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” 
(John xvi, 20) 

Who would have believed that crosses and tribulations should be 
the lot of the chosen servants of God, while joy and pleasures would 
be that of the followers of this world? It is, however, a truth, but 
a truth that contains a great consolation for Christians, since their 
sorrow is to be changed into joy. You should, then, prefer suf¬ 
ferings and afflictions to all the pleasures which the world can offer 
you, because of the great advantages they procure for you. I. Ad¬ 
vantage of suffering to sinners; II. Advantage of suffering to the 
just. 


I. ADVANTAGE OF SUFFERING TO SINNERS 
To begin life in tears, to pass through it in suffering, and to end it 
in sorrow, such is the lot of man on earth. . 

“Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 

miseries.” (Job xiv, 1) « 

But sufferings are of great advantage to sinners, because they serve 
wonderfully, (1) to withdraw man from sin, (2) to help him to atone 
for his sin. 


1. Suffering withdraws man from sin 
God deals with us as a loving father, who chastises his children in 
order to correct them. 

“Whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth. (Heb. xu, 6) 

“Whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth; and as a father in the son, 
He pleaseth Himself.” (Prov. in, 12) 

“Such as I love I rebuke and chastise. (Apoc. 111, 19) 

What in reality, is more capable of making a sinner enter into 
himself than suffering and adversity? While he tastes the sweets of 
prosperity, he gives himself up to joy and pleasure, he forgets God 
Has he wealth? he is either avaricious or prodigal of it, Has he good 

677 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 


678 

health? he makes a bad use of it. What will the Lord do to cure this 
sinner? He will deprive him of that health which he abuses. He 
will take his wealth from this miser or that spendthrift. He will take 
away from that woman the beauty which is the cause of sin to herself 
and to others. He will take from that father, from that mother, the 
child who is the object of an inordinate love. What will the sinner 
thus humbled do? Will he have recourse to creatures? No; ad¬ 
versity will show him their emptiness. Abandoned by creatures on 
whom he can no longer count, he will, so to say, be forced to have 
recourse to the Creator. 

“Returning to himself he said: I will go to my father.” (Luke 
xv, 17, 18) 

“It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn 
Thy justifications.” (Ps. cxviii, 71) 

“Thou hast chastised me, and I was instructed, as a young bullock 
unaccustomed to the yoke ... For after Thou didst convert me, I 
did penance.” (Jer. xxxi, 18, 19) 

But the opposite often happens: 

“Thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved; Thou hast 
bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction; they have 
made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return.” 
(J er - v, 3) 

“In vain have I struck your children, they have not received cor¬ 
rection.” (Jer. ii, 30) 

“Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem [by afflictions], lest My soul de¬ 
part from thee, lest I make thee desolate, a land uninhabited.” (Jer. 
vi, 8) 

“Correct me, O Lord, but yet with judgment; and not in Thy fury, 
lest Thou bring me to nothing.” (Jer. x, 24) 

“In their affliction they will rise early to Me: Come, and let us re¬ 
turn to the Lord.” (Os. vi, 1) 

“When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned, 
and came to Him early in the morning.” (Ps. lxxvii, 34) 

“Fill their faces with shame; and they shall seek Thy name, O Lord.” 
(Ps. lxxxii, 17) 

“If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if just, I shall not lift up my 
head, being filled with affliction and misery.” (Job x, 15) 

“He hath chastised us for our iniquities; and He will save us for 
His own mercy.” (Tob. xiii, 5) 

“We indeed [suffer] justly, for we receive the rewards of our 
deeds; but this Man hath done no evil.” (Luke xxiii, 41) 

“Do not hope that you will be without suffering, unless perhaps you 


TO BE BORNE PATIENTLY 


679 


think you are disinherited; for He scourges every son whom He re¬ 
ceives. Does He scourge every one? Where would you conceal your¬ 
self? Every one without exception, there will not be one without 
suffering. What is the meaning of every one? Do you wish to un¬ 
derstand what it means? Even the only-begotten Son (Christ), who 
was without sin, yet was not without suffering.” (S. Aug.) 

“The sinful son refuses to suffer, though he sees the sinless Son 
suffering.” (Id.) 

“You were always mercifully severe, sprinkling all my illicit pleasures 
with the most bitter vexations.” (Id.) 


2. Suffering helps sinners to atone for their sins 

The sinner will also find in his sufferings that which will enable 
him to satisfy God’s justice for the punishment due to his sins. 
There is no one who is not indebted to the divine justice. There is 
no one to whom the words of the Gospel may not be addressed: 
“How much dost thou owe?” (Luke xvi, 5). You have, I trust, 
already made the necessary efforts to recover the grace of God and 
obtain pardon of your sins; but besides the fact that you do not know 
whether this pardon has been granted to you or not, does there not 
remain, after the sin has been pardoned, a punishment which you 
must undergo in this world or the next? God sends you trials, which 
last only a little time, to take the place of the pains of Purgatory, 
which are extreme in their rigor, and often of long duration. Would 
you not be your own enemy if you did not take advantage of so easy 
a means of satisfying the justice of God? You cannot give alms be¬ 
cause of your poverty; you say you cannot fast or mortify yourself, 
because of your work, your infirmity. The goodness of God prepares 
for you in sufferings a means of satisfying His justice. You have 
only to receive these with resignation. After all, crosses and trials 
are inevitable, the better part then is to bear them patiently; by doing 
so you will not suffer more from them; on the contrary patience 
sweetens their bitterness. 

“They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and 
being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God. So 
Isaac so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed 
through many tribulations remaining faithful. But they that did not 
receive the trials with the fear of the Lord, but uttered their impa¬ 
tience and the reproach of their murmuring against the Lord, were 
destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents. As for us, 
therefore, let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suf¬ 
fer, but esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins 


68o 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 


deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which, 
like servants, we are chastised, have happened for our amendment, and 
not for our destruction.” (Judith viii, 22-27) 

“I beseech those that shall read this book, that they be not shocked 
at these calamities, but that they consider the things that happened, 
not as being for the destruction, but for the correction of our nation.” 
(2 Mach, vi, 12) 

“Why do you weep? What you suffer is a remedy, not a punish¬ 
ment; a chastisement, not a condemnation; do not refuse the punish¬ 
ment, if you do not wish to be excluded from the inheritance.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“Let man understand that God is a physician, and that tribulation 
is a remedy by which the soul may be saved, not a punishment by 
which it is condemned. When submitted to the remedy, you suffer 
acute pain, you are operated on, you cry out; the surgeon pays no at¬ 
tention to your cries, but considers how to restore you to health.” 
(«•) 

“Let a Christian rejoice in adversity; because he is either tried, if 
a just man, or freed from faults, if a sinner.” (Id.) 

“The cross, therefore, is always ready, and everywhere awaits thee. 
Thou canst not escape it, whithersoever thou runnest; for whitherso¬ 
ever thou goest, thou carriest thyself with thee, and always shalt thou 
find thyself. Turn thyself upwards, turn thyself downwards, turn 
thyself without, turn thyself within thee; and everywhere thou shalt 
find the cross.” ( Imit., B. ii, c. 12) 

“With good reason oughtest thou willingly to suffer a little for 
Christ, since many suffer greater things for the world.” (Imit., B. ii, 
c. 12) 

“If thou wilt not suffer, thou refusest to be crowned; but if thou 
desirest to be crowned, fight manfully, endure patiently. Without la¬ 
bor we are not on the way to rest, and without fighting we come not 
to victory. What thou sufferest is but little in comparison of those 
who have suffered so much. Thou must, then, call to mind the heavier 
sufferings of others, that thou mayest the more easily bear the very 
little things thou sufferest.” (Imit., B. iii, c. 19) 


11. advantage of suffering to the just 

“To them that love God, all things work together unto good.” 
(Rom. viii, 28) 

All things contribute to the profit of those who love God: the bless¬ 
ings and the troubles of this life. The blessings by the good use 
which the just make of them; and the troubles by the patience with 


ADVANTAGES OF SUFFERING 


681 


which they bear them. But it is in sufferings especially that the just 
find the surest means of working out their salvation, and find at the 
same time certain signs of their predestination. 

i. Sufferings nourish the faith of the just man; 2. they strengthen 
his hope; 3. they perfect his charity. 

1. Suffering nourishes his faith 

Faith teaches us to consider ourselves in this world as in a strange 
country. 

“We have not here a lasting city; but we seek one that is to come.” 
(Heb. xiii, 14) 

But there is nothing more suitable than sufferings to maintain these 
salutary thoughts in the mind of the just. The just man is not al¬ 
ways the best provided with the goods of this world. 

“Whilst the wicked man is proud, the poor man is set on fire.” 
(Ps. x, 2, according to the Hebrew) 

“Many are the afflictions of the just.” (Ps. xxxiii, 20) 

But consider how the just man reasons: I am sure that there is a 
God, the Rewarder of virtue; He does not reward it in this world, 
since the earth is covered with briars and thorns; therefore, my king¬ 
dom is not of this world; a more solid happiness is reserved for me. 
Hence his detachment from the world, his ardent desire for Heaven. 
The just man recognizes the goodness and wisdom of God in the 
sufferings which God sends to him; he knows that: 

“The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit 

of God.” (1 Cor. ii, 14) . , . 

In reality, is it the rich, the happy ones of this world, the people 
of pleasure, who are remarkable for the practice of virtue, for atten¬ 
tion to the exercises of religion? . 

“Unto you it is given, for Christ, not only to believe in Him, but 

also to suffer for Him.” (Phil, i, 29) 

“We sent Timothy ... to confirm and exhort you concerning your 
faith, that no man should be moved in these tribulations: ior you 
yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.” (1 Thess. iii, 2, .3) 
“Think diligently upon Him that endureth such opposition from sin¬ 
ners against Himself.” (Heb. xii, 3) . . TT . 

“If you partake of the suffering of Christ, rejoice that when His 
glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 

“My brethren, count it all joy when you shall fall into divers 
temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

^“Y ou s hall greatly rejoice, if now you must be for a little time made 


682 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 


sorrowful in divers temptations, that the trial of your faith [much 
more precious than gold which is tried by fire] may be found unto 
praise and glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (i 
Pet. i, 6, 7) 

“If the mind is directed by a firm intention, it esteems as sweet 
whatever is bitter in this life, and considers as repose everything that 
afflicts.” (S. Greg.) 

“The just man is distinguished from the sinner in this, that the 
just man in adversity confesses the glory of the omnipotent God, that 
he is not crushed by his condition, that he does not fall with the 
fall of his exterior glory.” (Id.) 

2. Suffering strengthens his hope 

Thus sufferings nourish the faith of the just man; they also 
strengthen his hope. In fact, it is only by tribulations that Heaven 
can be gained. 

“Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of 
God.” (Acts xiv, 21) 

Those only will be predestined who will have forced themselves to 
become like to the Son of God. 

“Those whom He foreknew He also predestinated to be made con¬ 
formable to the image of His son.” (Rom. viii, 29) 

“If any man will come after Me, let him take up his cross.” 
(Matth. xvi, 24) 

“He that taketh not up his cross, and followeth Me, is not worthy 
of Me.” (Matth. x, 38) 

“If we suffer we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Tim. ii, 12) 

“That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” 
(2 Cor. iv, 17) 

But see what sustains the hope of the just man in his sufferings. 
Consider what makes him say to himself: 

“The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory to come.” (Rom. viii, 18) 

Suffer with joy, then, and think of the reward: 

“I beseech thee, my son, look upon Heaven.” (2 Mach, vii, 28) 

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart.” (Ps. 
xxxiii, 19) 

“Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and 
speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for My sake.” (Matth. 
v, 11) 

“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake; for 
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Ibid., 10) 


ADVANTAGES OF SUFFERING 


683 


“Tribulation worketh patience, and patience trial, and trial hope.” 
(Rom. v, 3, 4) 

“As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also by Christ doth our 
comfort abound . . . That our hope for you may be made steadfast, 
knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall you be 
also of the consolation.” (2 Cor. i, 5, 7) 

“In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed; we are 
straitened, but are not destitute; ... we are cast down, but we perish 
not.” (2 Cor. iv, 8, 9) . „ 

“Blessed be God, . . . who comforteth us in all our tribulation. 

(2 Cor. i, 3, 4) . , . __ 

“The body does not suffer anything when the soul is in Heaven. 
(Tert.) 

“The cross of Christ is the key of paradise.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The strength of desires enables us to support toil and sorrow; and 
no one willingly undertakes to endure what gives him pain, unless it 
be for that which gives him pleasure.” (S. Aug.) 

3. Suffering makes perfect his charity 

Sufferings are also for the just an abundant source of merits and 
virtues, because of the perfection which they give to charity. In real¬ 
ity, it ’is in sufferings that virtue is made known, made strong and 

perfect: . 

“Power is made perfect in infirmity.” (2 Cor. xn, 9) 

There are, it is true, those who attach themselves to God in prosperity, 

who, like David, vow an inviolable fidelity to Him: . 

“In my abundance I said: I shall never be moved. (Ps. xxix, 7 ) 
But how rare that is! How insecure is the foundation on which 
rests the virtue that has not been tried in adversity! But if we love 
God only as long as He gives us what we want, and if we cease to 
love Him when He ceases to be favorable to our desires, we no 
longer love Him for Himself, as He wishes to be loved. 

The just man, while suffering, can say to God: 

“Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it by night Thou hast 
tried me by fire [of tribulation] ; and iniquity hath not been found 

in me.” (Ps. xvi, 3) ... , 

“Many waters cannot quench charity. (Cant, ym, 7) 

To love God in suffering and in spite of adversity is the effect of a 
heroic and perfect virtue; it is to follow the example of the holy man, 
Job, whose virtue never appeared brighter than in tribulation. God 

^“Has'thou considered My servant, Job, that there is none like him 
in the earth, a simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 


684 

evil? And Satan answering, said: Doth Job fear God in vain? 
Hast not Thou made a fence for him? . . . But stretch forth Thy 
hand a little, and touch all that he hath, and see if he blesseth Thee 
not to Thy face. Then the Lord said to Satan: Behold, all that he 
hath is in thy hand . . . Then Job [afflicted by greatest calamities] 
-said: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; as it hath 
pleased the Lord, so it is done; blessed be the name of the Lord. In 
all these things Job sinned not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish 
thing against God.” (Job i, 8-22) 

“Job’s body lay on a dung-heap, but his soul dwelt in Heaven; he 
whose soul overcame the unclean spirits was devoured by worms.” 
(Cassiod.) 

“Our fathers were tempted that they might be proved, whether they 
worshipped their God truly.” (Judith viii, 21) 

“I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify 
him.” (Ps. xc, 15) 

“Afflicted in a few things, in many they shall be well rewarded; be¬ 
cause God hath tried them, and found them worthy of Himself.” 
(Wis. iii, 5) 

“The furnace trieth the potter’s vessels, and the trial of affliction 
just men.” (Eccli. xxvii, 6) 

“Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of 
Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Cor. xii, 9) 

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he hath been 
proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to 
them that love Him.” (Jas. i, 12) 

“The God of all grace, . . . after you have suffered a little, will 
Himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you.” (1 Pet. 
v, 10) 

“Which of the saints has been crowned without a combat? Abel, 
the just man, was slain, Abraham was exposed to the danger of losing 
his wife; inquire and you will find that all the saints suffered ad¬ 
versity; Solomon alone enjoyed uninterrupted pleasure, and perhaps 
that is why he fell; for whom God loves He chastises.” (S. Jerome) 

“The wind does not carry off the wheat, nor does the storm tear up 
the tree whose roots go deep into the ground; light chaff is scattered 
by the tempest, weak trees are uprooted by the whirlwind.” (S. 
Cypr.) 

“It is not we who suffer injury in plots and calumnies, it is those 
who inflict them.” (S. Chrys.) 

“To suffer gravely for the love of God is in itself a great reward 
and a just remuneration, even though suffering would have no other 
recompense.” {Id.) 


ADVANTAGES OF SUFFERING 


685 


“It is a very great grace, and a truly perfect crown, to be considered 
worthy to suffer something for Christ’s sake, and the reward for suf¬ 
fering will not be less.” (Id.) 

“There is nothing holier than the tongue that gives thanks to God 
in suffering; it is certainly not inferior to the tongues of martyrs: 
both are equally crowned.” (Id.) 

“There are some who are patient as long as everything is in ac¬ 
cordance with their wishes; but if the slightest contradiction arises, 
it is seen how far they are from true patience.” (S. Bern.) 

“Indeed a Christian ceases in some manner to be such, who when 
placed in a position of suffering does not bear anything patiently.” 
(Salvian) 

“He who is unwilling to suffer except in so far as it seems good to 
himself and from whom he pleases, is not really patient.” (Imit., 
B. iii, c. 19) 


Division 

1. Sufferings of the just and prosperity of sinners. 

In the sufferings of the just and the prosperity of sinners there is 
nothing that should shake our faith. That we may submit lovingly 
to God’s will it is enough for us to know that He has so ordained. 
But we have innumerable proofs that nothing happens except by the 
permission of God’s providence. This manner of His dealing with 
us is not so obscure and hidden that we cannot discover some reasons 
that are sufficient to justify it; and these are: 

i°. God wishes to try His elect and to give them an occasion of 
showing their fidelity to Him; if He does not subject sinners to such 
trials it is because He does not consider them worthy of Himself. 
2 0 .’ God wishes to purify His elect from all earthly affections. 

3 0 God wishes to make certain the salvation of His elect, and to 
shelter them from the inevitable danger that is found in worldly pros- 

^God wishes to force His elect by a loving violence to keep 
united to Him, by making everything else bitter to them, and every¬ 
where offering them only objects that excite dislike. # 

c» God wishes to provide His elect with matter of continual com¬ 
bats,’ in order that they may always have subjects of triumph and 

m 6°! God wishes to punish His elect in this world, in order not to 
punish them in the other. 



686 


TRIALS AND SUFFERINGS 


Thus, as God takes care of His elect by the trials which He sends 
them, so He turns against sinners, by the very prosperity which they 
enjoy and which ruins them. 

2. Even in the trials pf the just and the prosperity of the wicked 
there is that which can strengthen our faith. 

This distribution shows us three things: 

i°. That there is another life than this, and that there are other 
riches to be hoped for; 

2°. That Jesus Christ is faithful to the promises He made to us, 
and true in His predictions; 

3 °. That God saves us according to the order of predestination 
which He has traced out for all mankind; because He has resolved 
that we should be saved only by a holy conformity with Jesus Christ, 
His Son. 


CXI 


GRATITUDE AND INGRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 

“And one of them when he saw that he was made clean, went back, 
with a loud voice glorifying God . . . and giving thanks.” (Luke xvii, 
15 , 16) 

The example of this Samaritan should confound those Christians 
who fail in the duty of gratitude which they owe to God, for the bene¬ 
fits they have already received and still receive daily from Him. 
“There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this 
stranger.” (Luke xvii, 18). Consider: I. What should move us to 
show gratitude to God? II. In what does this gratitude consist? 


I. WHAT SHOULD MOVE US TO SHOW GRATITUDE TO GOD 

x. Gratitude is a virtue which induces us to thank God for His bene¬ 
fits, and to use them for His glory and our own sanctification. Are 
we,' then, obliged to thank God? There is nothing more incontestable. 
Reason and Faith unite in convincing us of this duty. Reason tells 
us that we hold all from God, our soul, our body, our talents, our 
property. It teaches us that He made heaven and earth for us. 
Faith tells us that God by a pure effect of His goodness, has destined 
us for a supernatural end, namely, to possess Him for all eternity in 
Heaven. It teaches us also that God loved us so much that He sent 
His only-begotten Son into the world to redeem us. But can we atten¬ 
tively consider all these benefits without feeling that we are bound to 
show God our gratitude for them? 

“The natural order requires that he who has received benefit, should, 
by thanks, make a return to his benefactor.” (S. Thos.) 

“Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and senseless 
people? Is not He thy Father, that hath possessed thee, and made 
thee and created thee? . . . Thou hast forsaken the God that begot 
thee’, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee.” (Deut. xxxii, 
6 18I 

’ “And now Israel, what doth the Lord, thy God, require of thee, 
but that thou fear the Lord, thy God, and walk in His ways, and love 
Him . . . and keep the commandments of the Lord . . . that it may 

be well with thee.” (Deut. x, 12, 13) 

687 


688 


GRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 


“I have brought up children and exalted them; but they have de¬ 
spised Me. The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master’s crib; 
but Israel hath not known Me, and My people hath not understood.” 
(Is. i, 2, 3) 

“What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I have 
not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes, 
and it hath brought forth wild grapes?” (Is. v, 4) 

“When they knew God, they have not glorified Him as God, or 
given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish 
heart was darkened.” (Rom. i, 21) 

“Who would not be ashamed not to thank those who deserve thanks, 
when he sees that even beasts show gratitude? They preserve the 
recollection of the food given them, but you do not retain the remem¬ 
brance of salvation received.” (S. Ambr.) 

2. But as the greater number of men do not reflect on what reason 
and Faith teach them, the Lord adds to the natural precept engraved 
in the soul of man a positive commandment of gratitude, a precept of 
the old Law, in the institution of the Sabbath, in thanksgiving for the 
creation of the world; in the feasts of Easter, Pentecost,—in gratitude 
for the deliverance from Egypt,—in the first fruits of the earth, the 
first-born,—which the Israelites should offer to God. Precept of the 
New Law: Why were Sunday and feasts instituted? Why the most 
holy Sacrifice of the Mass? In order that we might thank God for 
all His benefits. There is, then, an absolute precept commanding us 
all to show our gratitude to God. So the Church is very careful to 
warn us of this duty: 

“Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. It is meet and just. It 
is truly meet and just, right and salutary,” etc. (Preface of the Mass) 

“The worship of God consists chiefly in this. Hence in that most 
true and excellent Sacrifice we are admonished to give thanks to our 
God.” (S. Aug.) 

“In all things [in riches and in poverty] give thanks; for this is the 
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.” (1 Thess. v, 18) 

The holy man, Tobias: 

“. . . repined not against God, because the evil of blindness had be¬ 
fallen him; but continued immovable in the fear of God, giving thanks 
to God all the days of his life.” (Tob. ii, 13, 14) 

“But, alas! Men forget God at the very time when they are enjoy¬ 
ing His blessings.” (Lact.) 

“Thank God! No saying can be shorter than this, nor can any act 
be more profitable.” (S. Aug.) 

“Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt; they remem- 


HOW PRACTISED 689 

bered not the multitude of Thy mercies. . . . They had quickly done, 
they forgot His works.” (Ps. cv, 7, 13) 

“If my enemy had reviled Me, I would verily have borne with it; 
but thou a man of one mind, my guide and my familiar; who didst 
take sweet meats together with me.” (Ps. liv. 13-15) 

“The greater the benefits that are conferred on men, the severer 
are the judgments appointed for sinners.” (S. Chrys.) 

“O man, see what I suffer for you, see the nails by which I am 
transfixed, see the pains by which I am afflicted; and great though 
My bodily suffering is, yet the pain in My heart is greater when I 
see you so ungrateful.” (S. Bonav.) 

“In the first work, that is, in creation, He gave me to myself; in the 
second He gave Himself to me; and when He gave Himself, He re¬ 
stored me to myself; therefore, given and restored, I owe myself for 
myself, and I owe myself twice. What shall I give to God for myself ? 
For if I could give myself in payment a thousand times, what am I 
to God?” (S. Bern.) 

“See how much He has given; in a twofold sense He has given it 
gratuitously, without either merit or labor on your part.” (Id.) 

“Rule thou over us and thy son; because thou hast delivered us 
from the hands of the Madian.” (Judges viii, 22) 

“They who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto Him who 
died for them.” (2 Cor. v, 15) 


II. IN WHAT DOES THIS GRATITUDE, WHICH WE OWE TO GOD, CONSIST, 
AND HOW IS IT PRACTISED? 

The duties of gratitude can be reduced to three: (1) to value the 
benefit as it deserves, and to be mindful of it; (2) to publish the bene¬ 
fit received and to thank our benefactor; (3) to make a return by 
giving according to our means, and in proportion to what we have 
received. 

1. We should value the benefits of God as much as they deserve to 
be valued, and should never cease to remember them. And how much 
shall we not esteem them if we consider Him from whom they come 
to us, the generosity with which He grants them, and their multitude? 
Ah! we have indeed cause to cry out with the prophet: 

“What is man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that 
Thou visitest him? . . . Thou hast set him over the works of Thy 
hands.” (Ps. viii, 5, 6) 

Let us guard against imitating the blindness of the Jews: 

“They forgot God, who saved them.” (Ps. cy, 21) 


690 


GRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 


“Remember and forget not.” (Deut. ix, 7) 

“Be ye thankful.” (Col. iii, 15) 

“Be instant in prayer; watching in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 
iv, 2) 

“Those are ungrateful who do not acknowledge God as their Bene¬ 
factor, and who, as servants, do not fear their Lord.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The ungrateful man is unworthy of a gift.” (S. Bern.) 

“He who retains in his heart the remembrance of benefits already 
received deserves to receive greater ones.” (Cassiod.) 

“Be grateful for the least, and you will be worthy to receive greater 
things. ( Imit ., B. ii, c. 10) 

“He who receives small things gratefully invites greater favors to 
be given to him; and he who acknowledges benefits already conferred 
upon him receives the hope of future benefits.” (Cassiod.) 

“The remembrance of benefits and the constant acknowledgment of 
thanks is their best guardian.” (S. Chrys.) 

2. The second duty imposed on us by gratitude is that of thanking 
our Sovereign Benefactor, and publishing the benefits received from 
Him. 

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great 
things He hath done for my soul.” (Ps. lxv, 16) 

“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” (2 Cor. ix, 15) 

“To the only God be honor and glory.” (1 Tim. i, 17) 

Let us join our thanksgiving to that of Jesus Christ; there is no prac¬ 
tice more perfect. 

“By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise always to 
God.” (Heb. xiii, 15) 

“I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall be always in my 
mouth.” (Ps. xxxiii, 1) 

“Glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for He will yet far 
exceed, and His magnificence is wonderful.” (Eccli. xliii, 32) 

“We are able to give thanks to God, we cannot postpone it.” (S. 
Aug.) 

“To give thanks to God is to understand that all good things have 
been given by Him; and to praise Him for them is to show our faith 
in Him by our words and deeds.” (Id.) 

“If we are silent and forgetful of the divine gifts we have received, 
we shall be defrauded of their use, as ungrateful and unworthy.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Accept the benefit, render obedience, beware of punishment.” 
(Hugh of S. Victor) 


4 


HOW PRACTISED 691 

‘‘Nothing contributed more to the ruin of the Jews than their in¬ 
gratitude to God.” (S. Chrys.) 

3. The principal duty imposed by gratitude is to give back to our * 
Supreme Benefactor in proportion to His gifts to us, and according to 
our power. And how can we fulfil this essential duty? We can do 
so by using the gifts of God according to His views, for His glory 
and our own salvation. ... I have a body and a soul; how have I 
employed them? ... I have talents; what use have I made of them? 
To what use have I put my temporal goods? Is it not at the very mo¬ 
ment of gathering them that I offended God most? These are ques¬ 
tions each one should put to himself. What heinous ingratitude, to 
turn against God the very gifts we receive from Him! 

“Our mighty hand, and not the Lord, hath done all these things” 
[the impious say]. (Deut. xxxii, 27) 

“They repaid Me evil for good.” (Ps. xxxiv, 12) 

“He that rendereth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his 
house.” (Prov. xvii, 13) 

“The hope of the unthankful shall melt away as the winter’s ice, 
and shall run off as unprofitable water.” (Wis. xvi, 29) 

“Thou shalt be desolate. Because thou hast forgotten God thy 
Saviour, and hast not remembered thy strong Helper: therefore shalt 
thou plant good plants, and shalt sow strange seed.” (Is. xvii, 9, 10) 

“Shall evil be rendered for good, because they have digged a pit 
for my soul?” (Jer. xviii, 20) 

“They were filled, and were made full; and they lifted up their 
hearts and have forgotten Me.” (Os. xiii, 6) 

“Ingratitude is the root of all spiritual evil; it is a wind that dries 
up and burns every good, and closes the fount of mercy on man.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“The greater the gifts which man receives from God, the greater 
is his wickedness in abandoning God, and he becomes deserving of 
everlasting evil who kills in himself this good, which could be eternal.” 
(Id.) 

“The first who were proud were also the first who were ungrateful. 
I wish you to understand that you have some good things, be not un¬ 
grateful; but I want you also to remember that you have them not 
from yourself, lest you be proud.” (Id.) 

“God entirely ignores the ungrateful.” (Id.) 

“Men who use the gifts of God and do not refer them to the Giver 
are by that crime proved to be unjust.” (Id.) 

“Ingratitude is a deadly thing, the foe of grace, the enemy of sal¬ 
vation.” (S. Bern.) 


692 


GRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 


“Nothing displeases God so much as ingratitude, especially in the 
children of grace; for it blocks up the channels of grace.” (Id.) 

“Ingratitude is the enemy of the soul, the exhausting of merits, the 
loss of virtues, the scattering of benefits, a burning wind, drying up 
the fountain of piety, the dew of mercy, the stream of grace.” (Id.) 

“What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that He hath 
rendered to me?” (Ps. cxv, 12) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Motives of our gratitude to God. 

i°. The innumerable multitude of His gifts; 

2°. The magnitude of His benefits, such as the Redemption, etc.; 

3 0 . The circumstances that accompany His favors,—having looked 
on us as if we were just, at the time when we were in sin. 

2. Qualities which gratitude should have. 

i°. It ought to be special, that is to say, we should attribute to God 
alone the benefits we enjoy; 

2 0 . It ought to be universal, that is to say, we should thank Him 
for all His favors; 

3 0 . It ought to be lasting, that is, we should unceasingly consecrate 
our hearts to God by good works, and our tongues by praise. 

II 

We should shun ingratitude: 

1. Because there is nothing God hates so much as this sin; 

2. Because God takes away from the ungrateful the graces He had 
given them; 

3. Because ingratitude places an obstacle to our getting the graces 
we require. 



CXII 


DISCORDS, DIVISIONS, LAWSUITS 

“Whence then hath it cockle? ... An enemy hath done this.” (Matth. 
xiii, 27, 28) 

Discords, divisions, often prevail in parishes, in families, sometimes 
even among good people. What evils and disorders they produce! 
How difficult it is to remove them! How many sins they cause. Woe 
to those who sow discord! I. They are the enemies of God, whom 
they grievously offend; II. They are the enemies of man and of so¬ 
ciety, by the divisions they cause among people who were united; 
III. They are their own enemies, by the evils they procure for and 
draw down on themselves. 


I. SOWERS OF DISCORD ARE THE ENEMIES OF GOD 

He who causes divisions and discord among people who were united 
is the declared enemy of God: “An enemy hath done this.” 

1. He destroys the kingdom of God in this world, because that king¬ 
dom consists of justice, peace, and joy. God established His kingdom 
in charity and it is by charity that He reigns in us. But he who sows 
discord destroys that charity, by breaking the union that should exist 
among Christians. Whence it follows that such a man being an enemy 
of God in a manner different from all others, God declares Himself 
in a particular manner to be his enemy. This is why the Holy Ghost 
says 

“Six things there are which the Lord hateth, and the seventh His 
soul detesteth: ... him that soweth discord among his brethren.” 

(Prov. vi, 16, 19) , 

“Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate; and 
every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. (Matth. 
2C11 2 C ^ 

•‘Discord among Christians is the triumph of the devils.” (S. Aug.) 

“Strife is an assault upon truth with the audacity of clamor. O 

“Whatever separates brethren must be called a hell.” (S. Jerome) 

693 


694 


DISCORDS, DIVISIONS, LAWSUITS 


2. He is the enemy of God because he destroys the work of Jesus 
Christ, that is, the peace and union which He came to bring into the 
world, which He sealed with His blood, and which He so strongly 
recommended. 

“God is not the God of dissension, but of peace; as also I teach in 
all the churches of the saints.” (i Cor. xiv, *33) 

3. He is the enemy of God, because as discord is opposed to peace, 
which God alone can give us, to labor in destroying the peace which 
He has established is, in some manner, to take part against God; it is 
to cause His subjects to revolt against Him; to become His enemy in 
His own household, more dangerous and insidious than strangers who 
attack Him openly. 

“The multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul.” 
(Acts iv, 32) 

“[But now] whence are wars and contentions among you? Are 
they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your mem¬ 
bers?” (Jas. iv, 1) 

“I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who make dissensions and 
offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learnt, and to avoid 
them.” (Rom. xvi, 17) 

“I hear that there are schisms among you.” (1 Cor. xi, 18) 

“The devil sows discord in your heart; is he not always the sower 
of discord, the author of dissensions, the originator of quarrels?” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Those who are more eager for contention than for truth, are ac¬ 
customed to resort to the subterfuges of a wicked defence.” ( Id.) 

“Harmony in human affairs, is a great but a rare thing; it is praised 
by all, it is preserved by few.” (Id.) 

“Harmony can never be preserved except by patience.” S. Greg.) 

“As it is a great evil if union ceases in good things, so it is pernicious 
if it does not cease in sinful things.” (Id.) 

“There is nothing that dissolves friendships more easily than the 
opposite opinions of men.” (S. Basil) 

“Discord stirs up open war among men.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Force must be used against disturbers of the peace.” (Cassiod.) 

“See the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, the fishes in the 
sea. You will not find such discord among them, as it is evident 
among men.” (S. Bonav.) 

“Doubt not that the Spirit of life will depart from him who is 
separated from unity.” (S. Bern.) 

“As the abode of the Lord is made in peace, so it is clear that in 
discord a dwelling place is made for the devil.” (Id.) 


ENEMIES OF MAN AND SOCIETY 695 

“Whence arises this discord among brethren, who although of one 
mother, are not of one mind?” (S. Aug.) 


II. THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF MAN AND OF SOCIETY 

He who sows discord is the enemy of man and of society, since he 
separates those who were united by the closest bonds of nature and of 
blood. No enemy can produce more evil, or greater disorders; he is 
the cause of the hatred that keeps people at enmity; of the lawsuits 
which it provokes;—he is the cause of quarrels, of outrages and often 
of murders. Is it not division, discord, that ruins the noblest families ? 
“An enemy hath done this.” He who sows discord is the cause of all 
these evils, all these crimes. And how difficult it is to repair the evil 
that has been done! To extinguish the fire that has been kindled by 
an indiscreet word, by an idle tale! 

“Abraham said to Lot: Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, 
between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; 
for we are brethren.” (Gen. xiii, 8) 

“It is better to separate in friendship than to dwell together in dis¬ 
cord; it is better to depart without strife than to remain and quarrel.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“He that studieth discords, loveth quarrels.” (Prov. xvii, 19) 

“An angry man stirreth up strife.” (Prov. xxvi, 21) 

“A passionate man kindleth strife.” (Eccli. xxviii, 11) 

“It is an honor for a man to separate himself from quarrels.” 

(Prov. xx, 3) „ 

“Cast out the scoffer, and contention shall go out with him. 
(Prov. xxii, 10) 

“Among the proud there are always contentions.” (Prov. 

xiii, 10) . 

“The lips of the fool intermeddle with strife; and his mouth pro- 

voketh quarrels.” (Prov. xviii, 6) . 

“A perverse man stirreth up quarrels.” (Prov. xvi, 28) 

“Strive not with a powerful man, lest thou fall into his hands. 

(Eccli. viii, 1) < A ,, 

“Contend not with a rich man, lest he bring an action against thee. 

^ “Refrain from strife and thou shalt diminish thy sins. (Eccli. 

“If " a wise man contend with a fool ... he shall find no rest. 

^‘iTa^man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy 
coat, let go thy cloak also unto him. (Matth. v, 40) 


696 DISCORDS, DIVISIONS, LAWSUITS 

“I fear . . . lest perhaps contentions, envyings, animosities, dis¬ 
sensions, seditions, be among you.” (2 Cor. xii, 20) 

“Whereas there is among you envying and contention, are you not 
carnal?” (1 Cor. iii, 3) 

“The servant of the Lord must not wrangle.” (2 Tim. ii, 24) 

“Admonish them . . . not to be litigious.” (Tit. iii, 1, 2) 

“If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor 
the Church of God.” (1 Cor. xi, 16) 

“Already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have 
lawsuits one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? 
Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Cor. 
vi, 7) 

“If you bite and devour one another, take heed you be not con¬ 
sumed one of another.” (Gal. v, 15) 

“As the whole body is injured in one member, so the fellowship of 
all humanity is broken off in one man; the natural disposition of the 
human race and the unity of the Church are injured.” (S. Ambr.) 

“In settling a dispute care must be taken that it does not break out 
into strife.” (S. Aug.) 

“By litigation we acquire an inheritance of one kind, but we lose 
an inheritance of another kind, namely, that of the heavenly kingdom. 
Let those who are unwilling to lose this last avoid litigation.” (Id.) 

“He who wishes ill to his adversary engages in a lawsuit; he wishes 
his adversary to lose and himself to gain; he wishes his adversary to 
be deprived of something of which he himself would become the 
owner.” (Id.) 

“Either do not engage in strife at all, or end it as quickly as possi¬ 
ble; lest anger should grow into hatred, make a beam out of a stalk, 
and cause murder.” (Id.) 

“The anxiety of a lawsuit is the snare of death.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Christ wishes us to avoid lawsuits; see how those Christians de¬ 
spise His wishes.” (Salvian) 

“Contention feasts on lawsuits, it kindles the flames of hatred, it 
destroys concord.” (S. Isid.) 

“Unhappy is that victory in which the victor, overcoming man, is 
himself conquered by vice.” (S. Bern.) 

“Take particular care to avoid disputes; to contend with an equal 
is dangerous; with a superior, madness; with an inferior, despicable.” 
(Cassiod.) 

“Christ is peace,—in the forum is discord; Christ is justice,—in the 
forum is injustice; Christ is faith,—in the forum are fraud and per¬ 
fidy; Christ is charity,—in the forum is detraction.” (S. Bern.) 


THEIR OWN ENEMIES 697 

“Banish strife, renew peace, lest your friend be lost to you, and your 
enemy, the devil, rejoice regarding both of you.” (S. Aug.) 


III. THEY ARE THEIR OWN ENEMIES 

He who sows dissension is his own worst enemy; and although he 
seeks and sometimes finds his own advantage in the quarrels of those 
whom he believes to be opposed to his designs, yet he does more harm 
to himself than to others. 


1. How many sins does he not cause? He is guilty and responsible 
before God for them. How can he repair all the injury he has done? 

“Their heart is divided, now they shall perish.” (Os. x, 2) 

“Where envy and contention is, there is inconstancy, and every evil 
work.” (Jas. iii, 16) 

“Whatever leads to dissension must of necessity lead to destruction.” 
(Lact.) 

“Those who sow dissension perpetrate innumerable evils in that one 
evil, because by sowing discord they extinguish charity which is the 
source of all virtues.” (S. Greg.) 

“Dissensions are generally of little importance in the beginning, and 
are easily remedied; but growing worse as time goes on, they become 
altogether incurable.” (S. Basil) 

2. He who causes dissension draws on himself the hatred not only 
of God, but also of men; he is held in horror by every one. As he has 
turned into enemies those who were formerly his friends, so. when his 
intrigues and malice are discovered, those whom he has divided unite 
in their dislike and detestation of him. 


? Finally, what maledictions, both of God and of men, does he not 
draw down on himself? Instead of being received into Heaven, which 
is the kingdom of peace, should he not expect to become the com¬ 
panion of the devils, whose minister and agent he has beeen, and whose 

malice he has imitated? _ , ,, /p 

“A man that is an apostate ... at all times soweth discord. (Frov. 

V1 '“An evil man always seeketh quarrels.” (Prov. xvii n) 

“Enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, 
sects ... and such like; of the which I foretell you, as I have fore¬ 
told to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom 
of God.” (Gal. v, 20, 21) 


6g8 


DISCORDS, DIVISIONS, LAWSUITS 


“If those who love peace are called the children of God, undoubtedly 
those who cause discord are the children of Satan.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

“The language of the sower of discord is the language of the devil.” 
(S. Bonav.) 

“Woe to that man by whom the bond of unity is disturbed.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell to¬ 
gether in unity.” (Ps. cxxxii, i) 

“Therefore let us follow after the things that are of peace.” (Rom. 
xiv, 19) 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good 
will.” (Luke ii, 14) 


Division 

1. Causes of dissension and discord : 

i°. Pride or vain-glory; a man strives, he desires to gain the vic¬ 
tory, he cannot bear a rival. We break off friendly intercourse with 
any one who disputes with us a rank, a prerogative, although he has 
more right to it than we. 

2 0 . Envy and jealousy, which are not less the enemies of peace and 
union. 

3 0 . Avarice and the craving for worldly wealth, which cause people 
to engage in lawsuits, and sow discord everywhere. 

2. Pernicious effects of dissension: 

i°. It troubles the peace of the heart, by vexation, anger, and other 
sinful passions, which it excites in those who are divided. 

2°. It causes quarrels, wrangling, and violence. 

3 0 . It causes strife and enmity. 



CXIII 


AMBITION 

“I will ascend above the height of the clouds. I will be like the Most 
High.” (Is. xiv, 14) 

Ambition is an unruly passion that urges man to advance himself 
to a higher position in this world; or rather, it is an immoderate desire 
for the honors and dignities that bring with them the respect and con¬ 
sideration of others. Consider: I. The guilt and misery of ambition; 
II. The danger of ambition. 


I. GUILT AND MISERY OF AMBITION 
There is no one more unhappy even in this life than the ambitious 
man. 

1. To what torment, to what slavery, is he not reduced in order to 
accomplish his designs? What mean and shameful flattery in order 
to gain the favor of the great! How he cringes and humbles himself 
in order to gain a higher position! What fear, what anxiety for the 
success of the plans and projects which he forms! And if he does not 
succeed, if he sees himself thwarted, what vexations, what alarms! 
“He who passionately desires fame is more a slave than all slaves. 

(S. Chrys.) „ 

“Honor, an alluring fame, an unhappy slavery, a sad ending. 

(S. Paulin.) . 

“Let each one free himself from the passion for worldly dignities, 
which so disturbs the heart and soul, that a man cannot be master of 
himself.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The ambitious man first becomes the slave of others in order to 
rule them afterwards; he bows down in flattery that he may be hon¬ 
ored; and when he wishes to be exalted, he becomes more careless. 

^“Ambition is a subtle evil, a secret poison, a hidden disease, the 
origin of deceit, the mother of hypocrisy, the parent of envy, the 
source of vices, the fomenter of crimes, the rust that consumes vir¬ 
tues, the moth of sanctity, the blinder of hearts, creating diseases out 
of the remedy, producing sickness from medicine. O .Bern.,) 

699 


700 


AMBITION 


“O, ambition, torment of those who crave for honors! how, while 
torturing all, dost thou please all ? Nothing inflicts sharper pain, 
nothing causes more grievous disturbance.” (Id.) 

“Ambition is the cause of madness.” (Id.) 

“There is no poison, no sword I fear more for you than the am¬ 
bition to rule.” (Id.) 

“The fire [ambition] never saith: It is enough.” (Prov. xxx, 16) 

2. The ambitious man renders himself odious to God and man. 
God resists pride, which is inseparable from ambition, and properly 
speaking, it is the ambitious designs which He resists, according to the 
word of the Holy Ghost: 

“God resisteth the proud.” (Jas. iv, 6) 

“Thy arrogancy hath deceived thee, and the pride of thy heart: O 
thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks, and endeavorest to lay 
hold on the height of the hill; but though thou shouldst make thy 
nest as high as an eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith 
the Lord.” (Jer. xlix, 16) 

The ambitious man is not less hateful to men who through secret 
pride cannot suffer any one to raise himself above them. 

“Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach 
to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered 
abroad into all lands. [But what happened?] The Lord came down 
to see . . . [and punish].” (Gen. xi, 4 f.) 

“When they were lifted up, Thou hast cast them down.” (Ps. 
lxxii, 18) 

“That which is high to men is an abomination before God.” (Luke 
xvi, 15) 

“It is altogether intolerable pride when any one strives to domineer 
over those who are his equals.” (S. Aug.) 

“When ambitious men desire to obtain dignities, they first gain over 
others to their side by love; when, however, they have gained what 
they sought, puffed up by pride, they afterwards subject to themselves 
by their power those very people in whom, when in private life, they 
inspired not fear but love.” (S. Bern.) 

3. The ambitious man is constantly exposed to dangers of all kinds, 
either from his competitors or his opponents, who seek to supplant 
him, or even from the nature of the honors and dignities which he 
seeks. All these are fragile and changeable. The reverses which he 
experiences, the changes of fortune, trouble the tranquillity of his life, 
and are sources of danger. 


DANGER OF AMBITION 


701 


“The enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honored 
and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke/’ (Ps. 
xxxvi, 20) 

“He that maketh his house high, seeketh a downfall.” (Prov. 
xvii, 16) 

“Thou hast lifted me up, and set me as it were upon the wind, and 
Thou hast mightily dashed me.” (Job xxx, 22) 

“Whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minis¬ 
ter.” (Matth. xx, 26) 

“Ambition apes charity; for charity is patient in the hope of an 
eternal reward, ambition suffers all for things that pass away; charity 
is liberal to the poor, ambition to the rich; charity endures all things 
for truth, ambition, for vanity; each believes all things, hopes all 
things, but from an entirely different motive.” (Salvian.) 

“Those who strive for pre-eminence are a disgrace to themselves, 
not knowing that in this way they reduce themselves to the lowest 


depths.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Because of their ruling passion, you see ambitious men incurring 
all kinds of danger, stirring up scandals, enduring hatred, leaving in¬ 
sults pass unnoticed, disregarding maledictions.” (S. Bern.) 

“Tell me, what will all your ambitious projects in this life come to? 
Can you have a higher hope than to become the king’s friend or favor¬ 
ite? And if you succeed in this project, what will you have but a 
most uncertain, unstable position, and a most dangerous office? Be¬ 
sides, through how many dangers and disappointments must you not 
pass to arrive at this most dangerous height?” (S. Aug.) 

“They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: 
their soul pined away with evils.” (Ps. cvi, 26) 

“And thou, Capharnaum, which art exalted unto heaven, thou shalt 

be thrust down to hell.” (Luke x, 15) . , , 

“God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up 

the meek in their stead.” (Eccli. x, 17) » 

“They [the ambitious] shall build up, and I will throw do 


^“The^ambftious [like our first parents] covet divinity and they lose 
happiness.” (S. Aug.) 


II. DANGER OF AMBITION 

Ambition destroys all the sources of salvation Three things are 
necessary for us if we would save our souls: (i) to be in a state of 
grace; (2) to keep the commandments of God and of His Church, 


702 


AMBITION 


(3) to make a good use of the graces which God bestows on us. This 
is the entire spirit of Christianity, and ambition wholly destroys it. 

1. Ambition destroys holiness and innocence by the crimes it causes 
“They loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.” (John 

xii, 43 ) 

“You know that the princes of the gentiles lord it over them; and 
they that are greater exercise power over them. It shall not be 
so among you.” (Matth. xx, 25, 26) 

“As often as I strive to rule over men, so often do I strive to rule 
over my God.” (S. Aug.) 

“Although you should fittingly fill the higher position, without which 
people cannot be governed, yet it is unbecoming to strive for it.” 
(A/.) 

“This is what ruins the human race most, that it will not recognize 
the limits of its nature, but is always wishing for greater things, and 
that it grasps in desire those things that are above its dignity.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“Ambition often makes criminals of those whom no other vices 
allure, whom no luxury could move, no avarice ruin.” (S. Ambr.) 

“The supremacy that is obtained by sedition or occupied through 
ambition, though it may not be abused by misgovernment, by bad 
morals, or by oppressive enactments, is held by a bad title from the 
beginning, and the example then given was pernicious. And even 
though such a rule may be tolerated after a time for the public good, 
still it is with difficulty that things which have a bad beginning can be 
made to end well.” (S. Leo) 

2. Ambition destroys piety and religion by the independence which 
it instils; it takes away the respect that is due to God by raising 

itself up against Him 

“As a violent storm bursting over a tranquil sea stirs it up from its 
lowest depths, so that the sand is mixed with the waves; so ambi¬ 
tion and dishonorable gain, infecting all things, ruin the soul.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“The passion of ambition especially darkens the reasoning faculty.” 
(Id.) 

“The pride of them that hate Thee ascendeth continually.” (Ps. 
lxxiii, 23) 

“My little finger is thicker than the back of my father.” (3 Kings 
xii, 10) 

It is thus that ambition is accustomed to make our merit grew 
greater in our own estimation. 


DANGER OF AMBITION 


703 


3. Ambition abuses the grace of God, which urges us to despise the 
glory of this world 

“There is hardly any one who is destitute of the love of power and 
who does not long for worldly fame.” (S. Aug.) 

“Honor, [fame] should seek you, not be sought by you.” (Id.) 
“Pre-eminence seeks him who flies from it, flies from him who 
seeks it.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Some admired the things he [S. Hilary] did, his almost incredible 
fast and abstinence, for instance. But for my part, there is nothing 
that surprises me so much as his profound humility, his trampling un¬ 
der foot the honor and glory of this world.” (S. Jerome) 

“The seat of power must not be given to those who desire it, but 
offered to those who shun it. Therefore let him who is endowed with 
virtue assume power when forced to do so.” (S. Greg.) 

“Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of 

honor.” (Eccli. vii, 4) , ^ 

“Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou hast strength enough to 

extirpate iniquities.” (Ibid., 6) . „ 

“Thou shalt no more be lifted up because of My holy mountain. 

(Sophon. iii, 11) . . „ / Dc 

“Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are my eyes lofty. {fs. 

cxxx, 1) 

“Go, sit down in the lowest place [and it shall be said to thee]: 
Friend, go up higher.” (Luke xiv, 10) 


Divisions 


1 The honors of this world are, in the order of eternal predestina¬ 
tion so many calls from God; but our ambition profanes them, in as¬ 
piring to them as to purely temporal advantages. 

2 The honors of this world are real causes constraining him who 
Possesses them M serve others; but our ambition abuses them in long- 
fng for them in order to exercise an empty sway and a haughty pow . 

° Th e honors of the world are indispensable engagements to work 
and suffer; but our ambition perverts them with the object of finding 
in them an easy and pleasant life. 

II 

1 Ambition is criminal before God. In what? 

In the projects with which it inspires the ambitious. 



704 


AMBITION 


2. Ambition leads to an unhappy end. How? 

By the divine judgments and the chastisements which it draws down 
on the ambitious: “Every mountain and hill shall be brought low.” 
(Luke iii, 5) 


1. Ambition is blind in its quests and pursuits : “You know not 
what you ask.” 

2. It is presumptuous in its opinion: “Can you drink the chalice 
that I shall drink?” 

3. It is dangerous and odious in its effects : “And the ten hearing it 
were moved with indignation.” (Matth. xx, 23, 24) 


CXIV 


TITLES, DIGNITIES, HONORS 

“I will go to the great men . . . and behold these have altogether 
broken the yoke more and have burst the bonds.” (Jer. v, 5) 

He who is raised to any dignity or post, is bound to fulfil all the 
duties of his position punctually and carefully; but Christian prudence 
should prevent him from so giving himself up to his business affairs as 
to cause him to forget his duties as a Christian and the affair of his 
eternal salvation. Consider: I. The vanity and danger of worldly 
dignities; II. The obligations of the great. 


I. VANITY AND DANGER OF WORDLY DIGNITIES 

Worldly honors are, (1) vain; (2) dangerous; (3) often the cause 
of the greatest evils. 

1. Vanity of worldly honors. They are of short duration and un¬ 
stable like the things on which they are founded. 

“I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars 
of Libanus. And I passed by, and lo, he was not.” (Ps. xxxvi, 
35, 36) 

“The lofty eyes of man are humbled, and the haughtiness of men 
shall be made to stoop; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that 
day.” (Is. ii, 11) 

“Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled.” (Luke xiv, 11) 
“O ye sons of men, why do you love vanity and seek after lying.” 

(Ps. iv, 3) . 

“Fear not the riches and glory of the world, since they are fleeting, 
and disappear more quickly than they come; this treasure is a dream: 
wake up, and it has passed away.” (S. Aug.) 

“What are worldly honors but pride and vanity, and danger of 

^“The evil spirh showed [to Christ] all the kingdoms of the earth 
in a moment of time; and rightly in a moment, because they cannot 

last longer.” (S. Ambr.) . _ . ^ 

“The power of the wicked is compared in the Scriptures to the 

70S 


yo 6 


TITLES, DIGNITIES, HONORS 


flowers of the field, because when earthly glory shines brightest, it 
falls away; when it is exalted in itself, it is suddenly ended by being 
cutoff.” (S. Greg.) 

“Whatever seems agreeable, pleasing, fortunate, or eminent in this 
world, is deceitful, because it is gained with difficulty and is soon lost.” 
(Id.) 

“Honors seem to be dignities, but in reality they are not, on the 
contrary, they are slavery.” (S. Chrys.) 

“All things in this world are imaginary, and there is nothing real.” 
(Tert.) 

“Worldly pomp and popular favor are as smoke, a light cloud quickly 
passing away; and if they give pleasure for a short time, they give 
pain for a longer period.” (S. Chrys.) 

“All human glory, all temporal honor, all worldly grandeur, com¬ 
pared with eternal glory are vanity and foolishness.” (Imit., B. ii, 
c. 40) 

“The glory is short-lived which is given and taken by men.” (Imit., 
c. 6) 

2. Worldly dignities are dangerous to salvation. They incite to 
pleasures, injustice, and impiety. 

“He who is not overcome by those evil vices, anger and cupidity, 
is a most upright judge.” (S. Jerome) 

“I have said that the desire of dominion and power, not of the work 
itself, is sinful.” (S. Chrys.) 

“I consider the position and I fear the fall; I contemplate the lofty 
dignity, and I look down into the abyss lying below; I gaze into the 
great depth and draw back in fear from its vicinity.” (S. Bern.) 

“There are many who would not desire honors so eagerly if they 
knew them to be burdensome [and dangerous].” (Id.) 

“There shall be a most severe judgment for them that bear rule. 

. . . The mighty shall be mightily tormented. ... A great punish¬ 
ment is ready for the more mighty.” (Wis. vi, 6, 7, 9) 

“In temporal things there are deceptive sweetness, unfruitful labor, 
vain hope, and dangerous delight.” (S. Lawr. Just.) 

3. They are often the cause of the greatest evils, for what is he not 
capable of who desires to raise hhnself up at any cost? 

“We see power lapsing into vice, and the authority to govern be¬ 
come an incentive to sin.” (S. Ambr.) 

“It is a vain error of man and a worthless refinement of dignity, to be 
resplendent in purple and filthy in mind.” (Minut. Felix) 

“A few purchase honor at the cost of many. What can be meaner? 


OBLIGATIONS OF THE GREAT 


707 


What more wicked? The poor pay the price of dignities which they 
did not buy; they know they must pay, though they had no voice in 
the making of the bargain. To make a few great and illustrious, the 
world is turned upside down.” (Salvian.) 


II. OBLIGATIONS OF THE GREAT, (i) WITH REFERENCE TO GOD; (2) 
WITH REFERENCE TO THEIR INFERIORS; (3) WITH 
REFERENCE TO THEMSELVES 

1. To God. The great should employ th£ir power and their dig¬ 
nities in order to make Him honored and served. They should refer 
all the glory of their power and dignity to God, from whom they have 
received them. They should show themselves sincerely grateful to 
Him for them. They should never permit their dependents to do 
anything opposed to the service of the Lord. On the contrary, they 
should always prefer His glory to their own interests. 

‘‘As the judge of the people is himself, so are his ministers; and 
what manner of man the ruler of a city is, such also are they that 
dwell therein.” (Eccli. x, 2) 

“Iniquity came out from Babylon from the ancient judges that 
seemed to govern the people.” (Dan. xiii, 5) 

“They have reigned, but not by me; they have been princes, and 
I knew not.” (Os. viii, 4) 

“The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honor; and 
there is none greater than he that feareth God.” (Eccli. x, 27) 

“That seed of men shall be honored that feareth God.” (Ibid., 23) 
“Whosoever shall glorify Me, him will I glorify; but they that 
despise Me shall be despised.” (1 Kings ii, 30) 

“And now, O ye kings, understand; receive instruction, you that 
judge the earth. Serve ye the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him 
with trembling.” (Ps. ii, 10, 11) 

“All the men of Israel said to Gedeon: Rule thou over us, . . . 
and he said to them: I will not rule over you, neither shall my son 
rule over you, but the Lord shall rule over you.” (Judges vm, 22) 
“Hath any one of the rulers believed in Him, or of the Pharisees. 

(John vii, 48) . . . . . , 

“When just men increase, the people shall rejoice; when the wicked 

shall bear rule, the people shall mourn.” (Prov. xxix, 2 ) 

“There is an evil that I have seen under the sun. ... A fool set 

in high dignity.” (Eccli. x, 5, 6) . „ 

“Virtue should strive, not for honor and glory, but for virtue. 

(S “Lrt U us attribute the power of ruling and governing to the true God 


yoS 


TITLES, DIGNITIES, HONORS 


only, who bestows happiness on the just alone, but gives earthly power 
to both just and sinners.” (S. Aug.) 

“We should refer all honor to God, the Author of our being; and 
the more honorable we are, the more God bestows His gifts on us, the 
more we should love Him in return.” (S. Aug.) 

“From the honor of your state you should understand how much 
you owe to your Creator; and the more you feel the honor bestowed 
on you, the greater should be your love for Him.” (S. Aug.) 

“Virtue is the mother of glory, for to virtue alone is glory justly due 
and safely given. On the other hand, that glory which is not accom¬ 
panied by virtue, most certainly comes without cause, is quickly as¬ 
sumed, and is sought after with great danger.” (S. Bern.) 

2. Towards those above whom they are raised they should act with 
kindness, using their authority with moderation and indulgence. 

“Love justice, you that are the judges of the earth.” (Wis. i, i) 

“You shall hear the little as well as the great. Neither shall you 
respect any man’s person, because it is the judgment of God.” (Deut. 
h 1 7) 

“The duty of a king is to risk his life for his subjects.” (S. Aug.) 

“Those who are in authority should be influenced not by the lust 
of domineering, but by the duty of providing for the public good; not 
by the pride of ruling, but by the mercy of providing.” (S. Aug.) 

“It is a greater virtue to govern well, not alone oneself but many; 
and the more there are, the greater will be the distinction.” (S. Thos.) 

“[Strive] to do those things that injure no one, and serve all.” (S. 
Ambr.) 

“Never set yourself above any one because of the nobility of your 
descent; for our religion knows no distinction of persons, nor condi¬ 
tions of men, but considers souls.” (S. Jerome) 

“You do this [ye great], because you are able to do it; but whether 
you ought to do it is another question.” (S. Bern.) 

“Would it not be unbecoming in you to set up your own will for 
law, and to exercise power unreasonably, because there is no one be¬ 
fore whom you could be summoned?” (S. Bern.) 

“Authority does not give happiness. But consider yourselves un¬ 
happy unless you do good.” (S. Bern.) 

“If one of the people errs, he alone suffers; but the error of the 
ruler involves many, and injures all under his authority.” (S. Bern.) 

“He by whom kings rule has placed us over His people that we may 
watch over, not injure them.” (S. Bern.) 

“You rule, not that you may become great through your subjects, 
but that they may become great through you.” (S. Bern.) 


OBLIGATIONS OF THE GREAT 


709 

3. With regard to themselves, they should avoid ostentation, luxury, 
pride, and be humble in their exalted position. 

“Give ear, you that rule the people, and that please yourselves in 
multitudes of nations: for power is given to you by the Lord, and 
strength by the Most High, who will examine your works and search 
out your thoughts.” (Wis. vi, 3, 4) 

“Take heed what you do: for you exercise not the judgment of 
man, but of the Lord. And whatsoever you judge, it shall redound to 
you.” (2 Paralip. xix, 6) 

“The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things; for 
great is the power of God alone, and He is honored by the humble.” 
(Eccli. iii, 20, 21) 

“Have they made thee ruler? Be not lifted up: be among them as 
one of them.” (Eccli. xxxii, 1) 

“The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. And He will give 
it to whomsoever it shall please Him: and He will appoint the basest 
man over it.” (Han. iv, 14) 

“Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required.” 
(Luke xii, 48) 

“The greater the earthly dignity of kings, the more they should hum¬ 
ble themselves before God.” (S. Aug.) 

“Why do you boast of your nobility? Were not all born in the 
same condition; and will not death be the end of all?” (S. Aug.) 

“Emperor and man are born alike; the Giver of life gives the 
power.” (Tert.) 

“You are magnanimous in your high state; you praise your parents. 
We are born equal in condition; it is by virtue alone we become dis¬ 
tinguished.” (Minut. Felix) # 

“Noble work is greater than noble birth.’ (S. Ambr.) 

“He who is noble, renowned, and elevated, may think his nobility 
perfect, if he disdains to be the slave of vice and to be overcome by 
it. (S. Chrys.) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Dignities and offices are full of danger for the virtuous, who may 

be perverted by them. , . . « 

2 Thev are still more dangerous for sinners, to whom they furnish 
more means and opportunities of satisfying their passions and com¬ 
mitting great crimes. 



7io 


TITLES, DIGNITIES, HONORS 


II 

Those in high station are under greater obligations than others to be 
faithful to God: 

1. Because of the gratitude which they owe to God, who has fa¬ 
vored them with these advantages in preference to so many others. 

2. Because, being exposed to greater dangers, to more frequent oc¬ 
casions of offending God, they require more special graces to save their 
souls. 

3. Because of the good example which they should give to those who 
are subject to them. 


Ill 

1. God has placed some in exalted positions, 

i°. In order that they may protect and defend others, and help them 
in their temporal necessities. 

2 9 . That by their good example and by every other means which 
Christian charity and zeal for the glory of God may suggest, they may 
assist others to sanctify their souls. 

2. Rulers and governors draw the divine anger on themselves, 

i°. When, instead of procuring the honor and glory of God, they 
prevent it being given to Him. 

2°. When, instead of upholding justice and causing the laws to be 
observed, they themselves are the first to violate them. 

3°. When they employ for the corruption of morals the very means 
which God has given them to preserve morality, or when they do not 
repress scandals. 


cxv 

RICHES AND PROSPERITY 


“You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matth. vi, 24) 

“The rich man died and he was buried in hell.” (Luke xvi, 22) 

It is not a sin to be rich, nor in itself an obstacle to salvation. A 
man can save his soul in the midst of riches if he makes a good use of 
them. Nevertheless riches are commonly: I. Acquired by unlawful 
means; II. Dangerous when possessed; III. Baneful in their effect. 


I. RICHES ARE USUALLY ACQUIRED BY UNLAWFUL MEANS 

A man can acquire riches by just means, but it often happens that 
a too eager desire for gain causes men to use unlawful means in order 
to grow rich in a short time. This inordinate desire is in itself sinful 
and opposed to the Gospel, which enjoins detachment from earthly 
goods. The passion for riches is the cause of an infinite number of 
crimes, frauds, law-suits, and acts of crying injustice. 

‘‘Labor not to be rich, but set bounds to thy prudence.” (Prov. 
xxiii, 4) 

“Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries of 
life; lest perhaps being filled, I should be tempted to deny and say: 
Who is the Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal, and 
forswear the name of my God.” (Prov. xxx, 8, 9) 

“Lift not up thy eyes to riches, which thou canst not have.” (Prov. 
xxiii, 5) 

“All things obey money.” (Eccle. x, 19) 

“Blessed is the rich man . . . that hath not gone after gold, nor 
put his trust in money nor in treasures.” (Eccli. xxxi, 8) 

“Blessed is he who has not gone after those things which, when 
possessed, become a burden, when loved corrupt, when lost cause 
grief.” (S. Bern.) 

“Woe to you that join house to house and lay field to field even to 
the end of the place; shall you alone dwell in the midst of the earth?” 

(IS. V, 8 ) „ 

“Woe to him that heapeth together that which is not his own. How 

long also doth he load himself with thick clay?” (Habac. 11, 6) 

711 


712 


RICHES AND PROSPERITY 


“Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth, where the rust and 
moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal.” (Matth. 
vi, 19) 

“They that will become rich fall into temptation, and into the snare 
of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which 
drown men into destruction and perdition.” (1 Tim. vi, 9) 

“He who wishes to be rich is poor.” (S. Aug.) 

“A man cherishes that which he loves more than other things.” 

(Id.) 

“He who desires counterfeit riches does not seek those that are 
real.” (Id.) 

“Those who grow rich by unjust means are in great poverty.” 
( Id •) 

“Those who despise the lust of wealth are richer than all others.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“If you despise the things of this world, you will be superior to the 
world together with the saints, of whom the world was not worthy. 
If, therefore, you wish to be worthy of heavenly treasures despise the 
good of earth.” (Id.) 

“If you are wise, if you have sense, if the light of your eyes is with 
yourself, cease pursuing those things the gaining of which is misery.” 
(S. Bern.) 

“We should shun riches, which are not sought for without toil, are 
not gained without difficulty, are not preserved without anixety, are 
not possessed without a criminal love, and are not lost without grief.” 
(S. Prosper.) 


II. THE POSSESSION OF RICHES IS GENERALLY DANGEROUS 

There is almost always reason to fear that the heart may become 
attached to them. Although God does not forbid us to possess wealth, 
and does not oblige those who are wealthy to part with their riches, 
yet it cannot be doubted that too great an attachment to this world’s 
goods is a grave sin; but the danger of becoming attached to them, 
of placing one’s hopes in them, of making an idol of them, is almost 
inevitable. Moreover, as wealth is very often abused, it is difficult for 
its possessor to avoid the disorders which riches bring with them. 

“If riches abound, set not your heart upon them.” (Ps. lxi, 11) 
“Behold the man that made not God his Helper, but trusted in the 
abundance of his riches, and prevailed in his vanity.” (Ps. li, 9) 
“He that trusteth in his riches shall fail.” (Prov. xi, 28) 

“The blessing of the Lord maketh men rich.” (Prov. x, 22) 

“The crown of the wise is their riches.” (Prov. xiv, 24) 


RICHES ARE DANGEROUS 


7 1 3 


“The ransom of a man’s life are his riches.” (Prov. xiii, 8) 
“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures 
without content.” (Prov. xv, 16) 

“Wisdom with riches is more profitable. . . . For as wisdom is a 
defence, so money is a defence.” (Eccle. vii, 12, 13) 

“If thou be rich, thou shalt not be free from sin.” (Eccli. xi, 10) 
“Gold and silver hath destroyed many.” (Eccli. viii, 3) 

“Riches are good to him that hath no sin in his conscience.” (Eccli. 
xiii, 30) 

“The house that is very rich shall be brought to nothing by pride.” 
(Eccli. xxi, 5) 

“They have woven the webs of spiders. . . . Their webs shall not 
be for clothing, neither shall they cover themselves with their works. 
Their works are unprofitable works, and the work of iniquity is in 
their hands.” (Is. lix, 5, 6) 

“I am become rich, I have found me an idol. (Os. xii, 8) 

“The care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up 
the word and he becometh fruitless.” (Matth. xiii, 22) 

“Charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded, nor to trust 
in the uncertainty of riches.” (1 Tim. vi, 17) 

“You wish to be wealthy and you do not wish to be virtuous; you 
should blush for your wealth if a house full of riches has in you a sin¬ 


ful master.” (S. Aug.) _ 

“Put away pride, and riches will not injure you. . (Id.) 

“Pride is the worm of riches; it is difficult for a rich man not to be 

proud.” (Id.) , . , 

“Who can believe that happiness is to be found in those things which 

the Son of God taught us to despise?” (Id.) 

“Job lost all his wealth; but when he unexpectedly became the poor¬ 
est of men, he kept his mind so firm and so fixed on God, that he 
proved clearly that he was not the slave of riches, but that riches were 
subject to him while he was subject to God. (Id.) . , 

“Let a temperate man consider that in transitory things of this kind 
nothing should be eagerly sought after by him; let him employ m th« 
duties and necessities of life as much as is sufficient, with the modera¬ 
tion of a user, not with the affection of a lover.” (Id ) # 

“So use this world as if you did not use it, that with its riches you 

may do good and not become bad.” (Id.) , , . . 

“The powerful and sinners have this peculiar to themselves that, 
occupied with the false riches of earth, they neglect the true riches of 
Heaven, and the less they search for what is true, the more they are 

exalted by false wealth. (S. Greg.) . 1 , . 

“Let the rich learn that guilt is not in wealth but m those who know 


714 - 


RICHES AND PROSPERITY 


not how to make a good use of it; for as riches are an obstacle to the 
wicked, so to the just they are a help to virtue.” (S. Ambr.) 

“He who makes a bad use of riches, is miserable, like a man who 
voluntarily wounds himself with the sword which he took up to punish 
his enemies.” (S. Greg. Naz.) 

“Riches have been given to be a help to life, /iot to be an incitement 
to evil; money should be the ransom of the soul, not the cause of its 
destruction.” (S. Basil) 

“Gold and silver, and such things, as far as the mind is concerned, 
are neither good nor bad in themselves; the lawful use of them is 
good, while the abuse of them is bad, anxiety of mind about them 
worse, and too eager a longing for them still more disgraceful.” 
(S. Bern.) 

“The pain caused by the insatiable longing for riches is far greater 
than the pleasures caused by their use.” (Id.) 


III. RICHES ARE BANEFUL IN THEIR EFFECTS 

Sometimes we lose them, or they are taken from us, and this causes 
us sorrow and grief. Sometimes they bring upon us difficulties, anxie¬ 
ties, a thousand vexatious matters that trouble our peace of mind. 
If they have been unjustly acquired, they cause great remorse of con¬ 
science. And even though we may not be deprived of them during 
life we must necessarily abandon them at death. But with what re¬ 
gret ! Finally, they can destroy our souls and hurl us into everlasting 
misery. 

“O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that hath 
peace in his possessions.” (Eccli. xli, i) 

“Be not thou afraid when a man shall be made rich, and when the 
glory of his house shall be increased; for when he shall die he shall 
take nothing away, nor shall his glory descend with him.” (Ps. xlviii, 

1 7 , 18) 

“They shall leave their riches to strangers, and their sepulchres 
shall be their homes for ever.” (Ps. xlviii, n, 12) 

“They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found 
nothing in their hands.” (Ps. lxxv, 6) 

“They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude 
of their riches. No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem; he 
shall not give to God his ransom.” (Ps. xlviii, 7, 8) 

“The rich have wanted and have suffered hunger; but they that 
seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.” (Ps. xxxiii, 11) 
“Riches shall not profit in the day of revenge.” (Prov. xi, 4) 


BANEFUL IN EFFECT 715 


“Neither shall their silver and their gold be able to deliver them in 
the day of wrath.” (Sophon. i, 18) 

“The rich man, when he shall sleep, shall take away nothing with 
him; he shall open his eyes and find nothing. Poverty like water shall 
take hold on him, a tempest shall oppress him in the night.” (Job 
xxvii, 19, 20) 

“Thy riches and thy treasures I will give unto spoil.” (Jer. xv, 13) 
“Riches kept to the hurt of the owner.” (Eccle. v, 12) 

“Where are they that hoard up silver and gold wherein men trust? 
. . . They are gone down to hell and others are risen up in their place.” 
(Bar. iii, 18, 19) 

“Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the 
kingdom of Heaven. And again I say to you: It is easier for a 
camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to 
enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matth. xix, 23, 24) 

“Woe to you that are rich, for you have your consolation. Woe to 
you that are filled, for you shall hunger.” (Luke vi, 24, 25) 

“We brought nothing into this world; and certainly we can carry 
nothing out.” (1 Tim. vi, 7) 

“Go ye now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries, which 
shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments 
are moth-eaten; your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them 
shall be for a testimony against you.” (Jas. v, 1-3) 

“Those are true riches, which once possessed, cannot be lost.” (S. 


“Those riches only that make us rich in virtue are real. Therefore 
if you desire to be rich, love true riches.” (S. Greg.) 

“Those things [riches] are good and are not good; for they are not 

lasting, they pass and vanish.” (S. Aug.) . 

“You see a rich man living, think of him dying; you see what he 
possesses here, consider what he takes with him. He has great wealth 
many slaves; he dies and those things remain behind, for whom I 
know not; for although during life he may give his property to whom 
he wishes, at death he cannot keep it for whom he wishes. (/<*.) 

“God calls riches of this world only deceitful riches; for those 
things are deceitful that cannot remain long with us, and, even when 

possessed, cannot satisfy the craving of our hearts (S. Aug.) 

“What have you to do with earthly riches which are not real and 

^“Lay-up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust 
nor moth doth consume.” (Matth. vi, 20) 



716 


RICHES AND PROSPERITY 


Divisions 

I 

Riches are called in Scripture the mammon of iniquity, although of 
themselves they are not bad nor incompatible with salvation. S. Aug¬ 
ustine gives the reasons for this: 

1. Because they are often acquired unjustly, by violence, fraud, and 
other unlawful means; 

2. Because people possess them unjustly, that is to say, sinfully, 
by becoming attached to and placing all their confidence in them; 

3. Because they are used in a sinful manner, by being wasted in 
foolish expenses and in gratifying the passions. 

II 

The bad use that is made of riches. 

1. God gives them only that they might be an instrument of salva¬ 
tion, by being used in His service; and man makes them an instru¬ 
ment of his destruction, by causing them to serve his passions and his 
vanity. 

2. God gives them to us to induce us to love Him more, and to be 
specially grateful to Plim for them; but owing to a strange abuse which 
is only too common, these same riches cause people to forget God and 
furnish them with the pretexts for dispensing themselves from the 
most essential duties of religion. 

3. God gives them to us that we should share them with others; and 
it often happens that those who possess them are the most hardened 
and the most insensible to the misery of their fellow-creatures. 

III 

Christian use of riches . 

1. We should use them only as far as is necessary, and as we are 
obliged to do by the duty and decorum of our state of life. 

2. The heart must be detached from them, even when one is work¬ 
ing to acquire and preserve them by lawful means. 

3. The use that is made of them should be sanctified by a good 
intention. 


CXVI 


FLATTERY 

“If thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between 
thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.” 
(Matth. xviii, 15) 

We owe it to ourselves to bear with humble submission the faults 
which our neighbor commits against us, and to stifle all feelings of 
resentment. We owe it to our neighbor to correct him, to warn him 
of his faults:—and this is the highest degree of Christian charity. 
But how rare this charity is! Far from finding sincere people who, 
touched by our errors and faults, warn us and help us to correct them, 
we commonly meet only with seductive tongues that flatter us and en¬ 
courage us in error. Consider: I. How culpable it is to flatter; II. 
How much he is to be pitied who loves to be flattered. 


I. HOW CULPABLE IT IS TO FLATTER 

The flatterer is a deceitful and double-faced man, whose heart in 
secret gives the lie to his lips. He is a cunning spirit who, joining 
with the tempter himself, throws a deceitful mask over the wounds of 
our soul; who studies our weaknesses in order to justify them to us; 
our passions in order to assist them; who suggests to us the crime 
but hides its enormity; who conducts us to perdition by an apparent 

path of virtue. . 

“A man that speaketh to his friend with flattering and dissembling 
words, spreadeth a net for his feet.” (Prov. xxxix, 5) 

“Flattery is deception by false praise.” (S. Aug.) 

“Flattery is correctly defined as a smooth-tongued enemy. (S. 

Jerome) _ . , . 

But there is nothing more wicked than to flatter any one in this 
manner; because by flattery you betray, (i) the interests of your 
brethren; (2) the interests of the public; (3) the interests of religion. 

1. By flattery you betray the interests of your brethren 

Religion obliges us to love our neighbor, to assist him, to help him 
to sanctify his soul; but do you love him when you flatter him? ho; 

717 


7i8 


FLATTERY 


on the contrary, that is the greatest injury you can do him. To flatter 
him is to declare yourself his enemy, and to sharpen the sword with 
which he strikes himself. Because when you flatter him you make 
him tranquil in sin, you strengthen him in his faults, you suggest 
to him perhaps some faults which he has not. 

“The dissembler with his mouth deceiveth his friend.” (Prov. 

x >> 9 ) 

“O My people, they that call thee blessed, the same deceive thee, and 
destroy the way of thy steps.” (Is. iii, 12) 

“Let every one of you please his neighbor unto good, to edification.” 
(Rom. xv, 2) 

“By pleasing speeches and good words they seduce the hearts of the 
innocent.” (Rom. xvi, 18) 

“The tongues of flatterers bind up souls in sins; for it is a pleasure 
to do those things in which not only the censurer is not feared, but 
the flatterer is heard.” (S. Aug.) 

“There are two kinds of persecutors, those who blame and those 
who flatter; but the tongue of the flatterer does more injury than the 
hand of him who takes revenge.” (Id.) 

“Flattery is the enemy of friendship.” (Id.) 

“The false praise and the pretended love of the flatterer deceive a 
man, turn away his mind from seeing the truth, and render him in¬ 
capable of knowing himself; he becomes effeminate.” (Id.) 

“Flattery is always cunning, calculating, and smooth-tongued.” (S. 
Jerome.) 

“There is nothing that so easily corrupts the mind of man as flat¬ 
tery; for the tongue of the flatterer does more injury than the sword 
of the persecutor.” (Id.) 

“Flattery corrupts thoughtless people, and wickedly inflicts a pleas¬ 
ant wound on the credulous by false praise.” (Id.) 

“There are many who approve of bad actions as good, and who 
strive to adorn vices with the opposite virtues.” (S. Basil) 

“The flatterer wishes to be considered a friend: there is no greater 
enemy of friendship.” (S. Cypr.) 

2. By flattery you betray the interests of the public 

What in fact is the ordinary source of all the scandals, animosities, 
and injustices that are so wide-spread in the world? It is flattery. 
However disposed men may be to follow their vicious inclinations, 
they would not abandon themselves to their passions with such 
audacity if they did not find mercenary souls to approve of their crim¬ 
inal excesses. A man sins boldly when he is sure of being applauded. 
Would there be so much open sin if there were in each family honest, 


CULPABILITY OF FLATTERY 


719 

upright people to say to the sinner, as S. John the Baptist said: “It 
is not lawful for thee”? (Matth. xiv, 4). But, alas! the sinner al¬ 
ways finds those who approve of his sin. 

‘They that say to the wicked man: Thou art just; shall be cursed 
by the people, and the tribes shall abhor them.” (Prov. xxiv, 24) 

“The flatterer, erring himself, encourages error [in others], and 
flattering, inveigles [them] into error.” (S. Aug.) 

“Whoever flatters those that lead evil lives, places, as it were, a little 
cushion under the head of a sick man, so that he who should be cured 
of his fault, may quietly rest in it, supported by praise.” (S. Greg.) 

“There is no graver temptation than to fall in with a flatterer, for 
he is more cruel than a wild beast.” (S. Chrys.) 

“The flatterer is the minister of the evil spirits, the leader of pride, 
the destroyer of virtue, an erring commander.” (S. John Clim.) 

“The secret detractor is a most destructive fox; but the smooth¬ 
tongued flatterer is not less so.” (S. Bern.) 

3. By Hattery you betray the interests of religion 

By your crafty dissembling you show that you fear man more than 
God, and that it matters little to you that God is offended, provided you 
gain a good reputation in the world. ... We are all bound to uphold 
the honor and glory of God. Why then, cowardly traitors, do you 
remain silent in the presence of those who are so wretched as to of¬ 
fend Him? 

“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, 
both are abominable before God.” (Prov. xvii, 15) 

“Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness 
for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet 
for bitter.” (Is. v, 20) 

“Woe to you that justify the wicked for gifts.” {Ibid., 23) 

“Woe to them that sew cushions under every elbow, and make 
pillows for the heads of persons of every age to catch souls.” (Ezech. 
xiii, 18) 

“They who do such things are worthy of death; and not only they 
that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.” (Rom. 
i, 32) 

“Neither have we used at any time the speech of flattery, as you 
know.” (1 Thess. ii, 5) 

“Praise not any man before death.” (Eccli. xi, 3°) 

“Such [flatterers] love falsehood; they are destroyers of truth, 
authors of hatred, mediators of satan. (S. Aug.) 

“If you praise a wicked man, by the very fact that he is wicked, 

are not you also wicked?” {Id.) 


720 


FLATTERY 


“You yourselves do not do evil, but to praise him that does it is in 
itself no small evil.” (Id.) 

“This vice [flattery] has increased in our day, it has reached its 
utmost and cannot be further augmented.” (Id.) 

“This vice reigns among many, especially in our time; and what 
is most grave, it takes the place of humility and benevolence; hence 
it happens that he who docs not know how to flatter is considered 
either envious or proud.” (S. Jerome) 


II. HOW MUCH HE WHO LOVES FLATTERY IS TO BE PITIED 

We like to be flattered. Does any one speak to us of our faults 
and attempt to correct them? At once we become indignant. We 
attribute the most wholesome counsels to prejudice and jealousy. We 
desire to be flattered at any cost; that is the passion of all, the ruling 
passion of human nature; and almost all are content to be left in 
ignorance of their faults, and to be spoken to only about things that 
flatter them. 

“Speak unto us pleasant things, see errors for us.” (Is. xxx, 10) 

But consider to what you expose yourselves by this love of flattery; 
(i) you will not see your faults and you will never correct them; (2) 
you will not have any safe rules of conduct, and will be guided only 
by your own prejudices, or by those of others. 

1. He does not see his faults 

We have a great number of vices and imperfections. We do not 
often know them; it is necessary that some one should point them 
out to us,—otherwise, through hearing ourselves constantly praised, 
we shall very soon believe ourselves worthy of praise, we shall become 
blind to our faults, and it will come to pass that we shall carry with 
us to the grave the passions which we should have overcome in life. 

You love those who flatter you. You avoid those who would make 
your faults known to you, those who speak to you the language of 
truth. Be careful. 

“The man that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him, 
shall suddenly be destroyed.” (Prov. xxix, 1) 

“Better are the wounds of a friend than the deceitful kisses of an 
enemy.” (Prov. xxvii, 6) 

“It is better to be rebuked by a wise man, than to be deceived by 
the flattery of fools.” (Eccle. vii, 6) 

“Blessed is the man who has completely overcome this vice; who 
neither flatters nor trusts a flatterer, who neither deceives another nor 
is himself deceived.” (S. Aug.) 


LOVERS OF FLATTERY TO BE PITIED 


721 


“He who wishes to be praised by men will not be defended by them 
when Thou, O God, dost censure him; nor when Thou dost judge 
and condemn him who will be set free.” (Id.) 

“To be enervated by flattery not only is not a sign of strength, but 
seems even a mark of cowardice.” (S. Ambr.) 

“We are drawn into evil from birth, and willingly favor those who 
flatter us; and although we may answer that we are unworthy, and a 
false blush may overspread the face, yet the soul rejoices interiorly 
at its own praise.” (S. Jerome) 

“This is a condition of truth, to be always pursued by enmities, 
just as friendships are destroyed by pernicious flattery; for we will¬ 
ingly listen to what gives us pleasure, and are offended by what we 
do not wish to hear.” (Id.) 

“Praise causes the just to suffer, the wicked to rejoice.” (S. Greg.) 

“Fly from the approbation of flatterers as from deadly plagues of 
the soul; there is nothing that so easily corrupts the heart of man, 
nothing that inflicts so pleasing and enervating a wound on the soul.” 
(S. Paulin.) 

“The fool rejoices to be praised in his presence, but when a wise 
man is praised before his face, he is punished in his heart.” (S. 
Greg.) 

2. He will not have any safe rules of conduct 

I admit that all your views may be upright and Christian; neverthe¬ 
less, if you listen to flattery, you will be exposed to innumerable dan¬ 
gers. In the advice which he gives you, the flatterer will consult only 
your own particular inclination; he will suggest that which will be 
more pleasing, but by no means that which will be more advantageous 
to you; he will magnify in your mind an injury which you have re¬ 
ceived. ’ And you will find yourself in the way of which the wise man 

SD0RKS * 

“There is a way which seemeth just to a man, but the ends thereof 
lead to death.” (Prov. xiv, 12) 

“An unjust man allureth his friend, and leadeth him into a way that 
is not good.” (Prov. xvi, 29) 

“He that rebuketh a man shall afterwards find favor with him, 
more than he that by a flattering tongue deceiveth him.” (Prov. 


xxviii 2^) 

“As’ silver is tried in the firing-pot, and gold in the furnace, so a 
man is tried by the mouth of him that praiseth.” (Prov xxvu, 21) 
“The just man shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me, 
but let not the oil of the sinner fatten my head.” (Ps. cxl, 5 ) 

“Flattery is deceitful praise. The false praise of the flatterer is 

the oil of the sinner.” (S. Aug.) 


722 


FLATTERY 


“The oil of the sinner fattens the head, while the applause of the 
flatterer soothes the mind by a false peace.” (S. Greg.) 

“Do I seek to please men?” (Gal. i, io) 

“Am I then become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” 
(Gal. iv, 16) 

“Fly from caressing flatterers as from enemies.” (S. Jerome) 

“I would rather be blamed by any one than praised by a flatterer; 
for a censurer is not to be feared by a lover of truth, but a flatterer 
errs himself and strengthens error in others.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let no one praise himself or desire to be praised by others; the 
one is characteristic of cunning, the other of vanity.” (S. Ambr.) 

“A flatterer is more dangerous than one who insults you. There¬ 
fore, shun a flatterer more than you would shun an insolent person.” 
(S. Greg.) 


Division 

1. Weakness of those who allow flattery, or who take pride in being 
flattered. This weakness is shown: 

i°. In the passion which they manifest for the esteem and praise 
of men; 

2°. In the want of judgment which they show in choosing their 
friends, by preferring flatterers to those who are true and sincere; 

3°. In not perceiving that those who flatter us mock and delude us; 

4 °. Finally, in the little forethought which they have of the dangers 
to which they expose themselves by allowing themselves to be led 
astray by the venal praises of false friends. 

2. Cowardice of those who flatter. 

i°. They are generally mean and servile friends, who applaud all 
the actions, whatever they may be, of those from whom they expect 
some favor; 

2°. They are unfaithful servants, or enemies disguised as friends; 

3°. They approve the good and the bad alike, and by so doing ren¬ 
der themselves accomplices in all the evil of which flattery makes them 
approve. 



CXVII 


POVERTY 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

(Matth. v, 3) 

God has willed that some should possess wealth and that others 
should be in poverty. Owing to this inequality the poor have need 
of the rich, and the rich of the poor. The rich should help the poor 
in their distress; the poor ought to work and pray for the rich who 
assist them. If you are favored with riches, make a good use of them. 
If you are in want, be content with your lot. Followers of Christ, 
I am going to show you the esteem you should have for poverty, by 
representing to you the advantages that accompany it. Consider: I. 
What are the advantages of poverty? II. What are the obligations of 
the poor ? 


I. THE ADVANTAGES OF POVERTY 

If poverty is looked at from a human point of view it presents noth¬ 
ing but what is sad and repulsive to nature. To be in want of the 
necessaries of life is hard. But if we look at poverty with the eyes 
of faith, we shall see that it contains advantages capable of soft¬ 
ening its natural severity: (1) it assures the salvation of the poor, 
by preserving them from the danger of riches, and affording the op¬ 
portunity of practising the most sublime virtues; (2) it gives them a 
special right to the kingdom of Heaven. 

1. It assures the salvation of the poor 

What facility for saving your soul in a state which frees you from 
the cares and anxieties that riches bring with them, whether in acquir¬ 
ing or preserving them! Removed from the opportunities of satis¬ 
fying the criminal passions, you will find easy means of acquiring and 
practising the most sublime virtues. Humility, detachment from 
worldly goods, abstinence, fasting, sobriety,—the practice of all these 
will become easy to you. Obliged to gain your bread by the sweat 
of your brow, you will not be exposed to the danger of falling into 
the vices that usually accompany idleness. Your laborious and con- 

723 


724 


POVERTY 


tinual occupations will afford you an opportunity of satisfying the 
justice of God for your sins and of meriting Heaven. 

“Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish, and that 
hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. 
Who is he and we will praise him?” (Eccli. xxxi, 8, 9) 

“Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses.” 
(Matth. x, 9) 

“If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the 
poor.” (Matth. xix, 21) 

“God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.” (Gen. 

xi, 52) 

“Let not your poverty displease you; you can find nothing richer.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“The poor man is always safe, and free from all fear.” (S. Chrys.) 
“He who loves nothing in this world, fears nothing in it.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“As riches are the instruments of all vices, so poverty is the nurse 
and guide of all virtues.” (S. Greg.) 

“Poverty is accustomed to guard humility in good hearts.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“Poverty is the first in order, and the parent, as it were, of all 
other virtues.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Poverty is the peaceful refuge, the school and exercising ground 
of patience.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Holy poverty is the most suitable instrument of virtue.” (S. Greg. 
Naz.) 

“Christian poverty is always rich, and he who possesses all things 
in the Lord of all things, is not afraid to labor in want in this world.” 
(S. Leo.) 


2. It gives a special right to the eternal kingdom 

Poverty makes you like Jesus Christ, the Model of the predestined. 
In what state was Christ born? How did He live? But if in order to 
be counted among the number of the elect, we must unite in our per¬ 
son the different characteristics under which the Son of God made Him¬ 
self known to men, what a pledge of predestination is there not found 
in poverty? 

“Them whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be made con¬ 
formable to the image of His Son.” (Rom. viii, 29) 

Thus it is that the Saviour promised the kingdom of Heaven to 
those who are found in that state of holy poverty: 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of 
Heaven.” (Matth. v, 3) 



ADVANTAGES OF POVERTY 725 

How consoling" these truths are, and how capable of softening the 
sorrows that accompany poverty. But it is especially at the hour of 
death that you will know the value of this virtue. The rich man dies 
with regret, because he sees himself separated from the wealth he 
loved. The poor man dies content: “To me to die is gain”; because 
he knows that his sorrows are about to be replaced by joys that shall 
never end. . . . Death of the rich sinner. . . . Death of Lazarus. . . . 

By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, 
now will I arise, saith the Lord.” (Ps. xi, 6) 

“Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked.” 
(Ps. xxxvi, 16) 

“Better is a little with justice, than great revenues with iniquity.” 
(Prov. xvi, 8) 

“Man, when he shall die, shall take nothing away; nor shall his 
glory descend with him.” (Ps. xlviii, 18) 

“His eyes look on the poor man.” (Ps. x, 5) 

“The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor.” (Ps. x, 17, accord¬ 
ing to the Hebrew) 

“Behold I have refined thee ... I have chosen thee in the furnace 
of poverty.” (Is. xlviii, 10) 

“Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries 
of life.” (Prov. xxx, 8) 

“The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matth. 
viii, 20) 

“Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and 
heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love 
Him?” (Jas. ii, 5) 

“I know thy tribulation and thy poverty, but thou art rich.” (Apoc. 
ii, 9 ) 

“Would you know how rich poverty is? It purchases Heaven.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“God made you poor, so that by suffering poverty for a short time, 
you might gain everlasting life.” (S. Aug.) 

“The fire of poverty purified Lazarus from sin, and the happiness 
of the present.life rewarded the good deeds of the rich man.” (S. 
Greg.) 

“We have renounced things of small value, and we possess those 
that are precious; and the promises of Christ are fulfilled one hundred 
fold.” (S. Jer.) 

“He who is poor with Christ is rich enough.” (S. Jerome) 

“He who is rich before God can never be poor.” (Lact.) 

“Let all earthly treasure depart when heavenly is admitted.” (S. 
Peter Dam.) 


726 


POVERTY 


“The Saviour, to whom both gold and silver belong, consecrates 
holy poverty in His own Body.” (S. Bern.) 

“The poverty of Christ is richer than all the wealth, all the treasures 
of this world.” (S. Bern.) 


II. THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE POOR 

However great the assurance which poverty gives of Heaven, let not 
the poor become presumptuous; for poverty has its dangers and 
perils, as well as riches. In order that poverty may be meritorious, it 
must be: (1) voluntary, humble, and submissive to the will of God; 
(2) industrious, so as to employ itself as God wills. 

1. Poverty must be voluntary. Christ promised His kingdom only 
to the poor in spirit, that is, either to those who are voluntarily poor 
by an effective renunciation of all they possess, or to those who possess 
the riches of this world without being attached to them, and who assist 
the poor out of their superfluous wealth; or finally, to those who, poor 
by their state, or owing to some unhappy occurrence, bear their pov¬ 
erty patiently. If, then, you endure poverty only in murmuring against 
the will of God, if you complain of your lot, if you envy that of the 
rich, you are no longer poor in spirit, but rather rich in affection, you 
are straying from the road that should conduct you to Heaven, and 
being unhappy in this life, you expose yourself to the danger of being 
miserable in the next. 

You may wish for some help in your poverty, and you may employ 
lawful means to provide the necessaries of life; but if Heaven does 
not bless your efforts, be content with your lot, and be convinced that 
God wishes you to be in that state. 

“Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” (Ps. 
liv, 23) 

“Be not solicitous, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we 
drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? ... For your Father know- 
eth that you have need of all these things.” (Matth. vi, 31, 32) 

“Fear not, my son; we lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have 
many good things if we fear God, and depart from all sin, and do 
that which is good.” (Tob. iv, 23) 

“The poor man shall not be forgotten to the end: the patience of 
the poor shall not perish for ever.” (Ps. ix, 19) 

“The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, He humbleth and He 
exalteth.” (1 Kings ii, 7) 

“But I am a beggar and poor; the Lord is careful for me.” (Ps. 
xxxix, 18) 


OBLIGATIONS OF THE POOR 


727 


“I am poor and in labors from my youth.” (Ps. lxxxvii, 16) 
“Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I re¬ 
turn thither.” (Job i, 21) 

“The poor shall eat and shall be filled; and they shall praise the 
Lord that seek Him; their hearts shall live for ever and ever.” (Ps. 
xxi, 27) 

“One is as it were rich, when he hath nothing; and another is as 
it were poor, when he hath great riches.” (Prov. xiii, 7) 

“Through poverty many have sinned.” (Eccli. xxvii, 1) 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these 
things shall be added unto you.” (Matth. vi, 33) 

“Behold we have left all things, and have followed Thee.” (Matth. 
xix, 27) 

“Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, 
cannot be My disciple.” (Luke xiv, 33) 

“As having nothing, and possessing all things.” (2 Cor. vi, 10) 
“Having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are 
content.” (1 Tim. vi, 8) 

“You took with joy the being stripped of your own goods, know¬ 
ing that you have a better and a lasting substance.” (Heb. x, 34) 
“The rich have wanted and have suffered hunger; but they that 
seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.” (Ps. xxxiii, 11) 
“They shall have no inheritance; I [the Lord] am their inheritance, 
... I am their possession.” (Ezech. xliv, 28) 

“The man who is truly poor, is so rich that he regards the whole 
world as of little value.” (S. Jerome) 

“There is no one richer than him who truly loves poverty, and 
bears it cheerfully.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Elias chose poverty from the riches of the heart.” {Id.) 

“How can he be poor, who does not want, who does not covet the 
goods of another, and who is rich in God?” (Minut. Felix) 

“It is something base and dishonorable, not indeed to be poor, but 
not to bear poverty nobly.” (S. Basil) 

“Poverty itself is to be considered not a virtue but a misfortune, 
unless you are poor in heart and affection. (Caesarius of Arles) 
“What will it profit you to be poor if you are inflamed with cupid¬ 
ity ?” (S. Aug.) 

2. But if the poor should be patient in bearing their sufferings, they 
should also be industrious in procuring alleviation of them. If all 
men should work, in obedience to the command of God, those are 
specially bound to do so who otherwise have no means of living. 
But what do we see? Poor people, who, trusting to the charity which 


POVERTY 


728 

they hope to receive from the rich, sink into idleness, and lead a wan¬ 
dering, vagabond life,—ignorant of even the first principles of re¬ 
ligion. There are robust men who could work, there are vicious men 
who make a bad use of the alms given to them. Ah! these men are 
not the really poor of the Gospel. Away with these envious poor, who 
are always complaining of being treated most unfairly in the distribu¬ 
tion of alms. Away with those bold and impudent poor, who answer 
only by insults and curses those who do not give them all they de¬ 
mand. 

“If any man will not work, neither let him eat.” (2 Thess. iii, 10) 
“Be not ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ, and 
to appear poor in this world.” ( Imit., B. 1, c. 7) 

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; as it hath pleased 
the Lord, so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 
i, 21) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Poverty, from whatever cause it arises, is the most advantageous 
and surest means of saving our souls: 

i°. Because it shelters us from the dangers and temptations that are 
almost inseparable from riches, and frees us from the cares and anx¬ 
ieties which wealth brings with it; 

2 0 . Because it gives us opportunities of practising the most heroic 
virtues; 

3 0 . Because it makes us more like our Saviour. 

2. And yet it is the means least used by men. 

i°. In reality, the rich are rarely poor in spirit; the attachment to 
and the love which they have for their wealth, place them in contin¬ 
ual danger of damnation, because in order to be saved it is absolutely 
necessary to be detached from the goods of this world; 

2 0 . Neither do those who are poor through necessity make use of 
poverty; not being poor in spirit, this means, far from being of benefit 
to them, incites them to sin: they murmur, they are impatient, and so 
lose all the merit of their poverty. 

II 

1. The poor in spirit, submissive to the will of God, cannot be un¬ 
happy in troubles and afflictions; on the contrary they are always 
happy and content; 

2. He who is truly poor in spirit, is rich in temporal goods and in 
treasures of grace. 



CXVIII 


WORK 

“Why stand you here all the day idle? Go ye also in my vineyard.” 
(Matth. xx, 6 ) 

“Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing.” (Luke 
v, 5 ) 

All men are obliged to work and avoid idleness. God commands it; 
He regulates and blesses work. There are some, however, who do 
not wish to work; and there are others who work, it is true, but do 
badly the work they do. It is thus that, for different reasons, both 
classes deprive themselves of the blessings which God bestows on work. 
There is question of working, and of working well. Consider: I. 
The obligation that binds us to work; II. The means of sanctifying 
work. 


I. THE OBLIGATION THAT BINDS US TO WORK 

In order to understand this obligation clearly, we have only to con¬ 
sider attentively that (i) we are men, (2) we are sinners, (3) we are 
Christians. 


1. Being men, work is inseparable from our nature 

“Man is born to labor and the bird to fly.” (Job v, 7) 

“The Lord God put him [Adam] into the paradise of pleasure, to 
dress it, and keep it.” (Gen. ii, 15) 

“Great labor is created for all men, and a heavy yoke is upon the 
children of Adam . . . from him that sitteth on a glorious throne, to 
him that is humbled in earth and ashes.” (Eccli. xi, 1, 3) 

“Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways and learn wis¬ 
dom.” (Prov. vi, 6) . . „ 

“Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labor until the evening. 

/cm 23) 

“God appointed man to labor and formed his body with that object; 
therefore, the idle man falls away from his own class, and from his 

office.” (S. Chrys.) . . 

“The first and peculiar office of the condition of man is to work, 

729 


WORK 


730 

so that sluggish idleness is contrary to man’s nature.” (S. Chrys.) 

“There is nothing more dangerous than freedom from work, than 
idleness; therefore, God placed man under the necessity of working.” 
(S. Chrys.) 

“God did not create man to pass his life in idle and sluggish desires; 
but, on the contrary, to occupy himself with honorable labor.” (S. 
Basil) 

2. Labor is the just punishment of sin, imposed on all the children 

of Adam 

This is the sentence which God pronounced against the father of 
the human race when he became a sinner: 

“Cursed is the earth in thy work; with labor and toil shalt thou eat 
thereof all the days of thy life ... In the sweat of thy face shalt 
thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast 
taken.” (Gen. iii, 17 f.) 

Work then, and say to God: 

“See my abjection and my labor; and forgive me all my sins.” 
(Ps. xxiv, 18) 

“If any man will not work, neither let him eat.” (2 Thess. iii, 10) 
“We have received the sentence condemning us to labor in him in 
whom we have all sinned without exception.” (S. Bern.) 

3. Finally, we are obliged to work as Christians, since in that quality 
we should imitate Jesus Christ our Head, who worked from 
His earliest youth 

“In labors from my youth.” (Ps. lxxxvii, 16) 

“My Father worketh until now, and I work. . . . The works which 
the Father hath given Me to perfect, the works themselves which I do.” 
(John v, 17, 36) 

“We entreat you . . . that you do your own business, and work 
with your own hands.” (1 Thess. iv, 11) 

“We have heard that there are some among you . . . working not 
at all, but curiously meddling. Now we charge them that are such, 
and beseech them by the Lord Jesus Christ, that working with silence, 
they would eat their own bread.” (2 Thess. iii, 11, 12) 

“You remember, brethren, our labor and toil, working night and day, 
lest we should be chargeable to any of you.” (1 Thess. ii, 9) 

“Such things as were needful for me and them that are with me, 
these hands have furnished.” (Acts xx, 34) 

After these Apostolic warnings, how could we dare to continue in 
idleness, which is the school of all vices? 


MEANS OF SANCTIFYING WORK 


73i 


“For idleness has taught much evil.’’ (Eccli. xxxiii, 29) 

“They are not in the labor of men; neither shall they be scourged 
like other men. [But what results from that?] Therefore pride hath 
held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wicked¬ 
ness. Their iniquity hath come forth as it were from fatness.” (Ps. 
lxxii, 5-7) 

“They have spoken wickedness; they have spoken iniquity on high. 
They have set their mouth against heaven.” (Ibid., 8, 9) 

“The unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness.” 
(Matth. xxv, 30) 

“Consider what sin deserves, if unprofitableness alone is sufficient to 
cause damnation.” (S. Bern.) 

“This was the iniquity of Sodom ... the idleness of her and of 
her daughters.” (Ezech. xvi, 49) 

“God promises a reward not to idle dreamers, but to those who 
watch and work: the reward is prepared for the labor.” (S. Ambr.) 

“As a field, though neither sown nor planted, produces grass, so 
also man, if not occupied with necessary work will, since he is, as it 
were, under the necessity of doing something, give himself up to bad 
actions.” (S. Chrys.) 

“If the devil sees you slothful, lazy, languishing in idleness for a 
moment, he enters as into a deserted abode; but if he sees you active, 
vigilant, zealous, he will not even dare to think of doing so.” (S. 
Chrys.) 

“We give way to idle habits, we indulge in vanity and buffoonery, 
as if the life of man on earth were peace, and not warfare.” (S. 
Bern.) 

“We must work, not so much on account of the necessities of the 
body, as for the salvation of the soul.” (S. Jerome) 


II. MEANS OF SANCTIFYING OUR WORK 

We must sanctify our work. To do this we should, (1) as men, 
work with prudence; (2) as sinners, work in a spirit of penance; (3) 
as Christians, work in union with Jesus Christ. 

1. As men we must work with prudence 

In the first place we must begin work with a pure intention, with 
the object of pleasing God; we must offer it to Him, and make a sac¬ 
rifice to Him of all that is difficult and tedious in our work; for this 
purpose we should strengthen ourselves with the sign of the Cross. 

“Whatever work occupies us, we should make the sign of the Cross 
on our forehead.” (Tert.) 


732 


WORK 


We must, then, undertake our labors with moderation and prudence, 
without allowing ourselves to give way to an excessive love of worldly 
goods, to avarice. 

“Labor not to be rich; but set bounds to thy prudence.” (Prov. 
xxiii, 4) 

“Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked.” 
(Ps. xxxvi, 16) 

“The inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning, in the end shall be 
without a blessing.” (Prov. xx, 21) 

“What fruit, therefore, had you then in those things of which you 
are now ashamed?” (Rom. vi, 21) 

“We wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction, and 
have walked through hard ways. . . . What advantage hath the boast¬ 
ing of riches brought us?” (Wis. v, 7, 8) 

“Thou art spent with foolish labor.” (Exod. xviii, 18) 

“He that undertaketh many things, shall fall into judgment.” (Ec- 
cli. xxix, 25) 

“I hated all my application, whereof I had earnestly labored under 
the sun, being like to have an heir after me, whom I know not whether 
he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have to rule over all my 
labors, with which I have labored and been solicitous; and is there any¬ 
thing so vain?” (Eccle. ii, 18, 19) 

“There is but one . . . neither doth he reflect, saying: For whom 
do I labor and defraud my soul of good things? In this also is vanity, 
and a grievous vexation.” (Eccle. iv, 8) 

“Their hope is vain, and their labors without fruit, and their works 
unprofitable.” (Wis. iii, 11) 

2. As sinners we should labor in a spirit of penance, joining prayer 
to work, raising our hands to Heaven to obtain mercy 

“In the day of my trouble I sought God, with my hands lifted up 
to him in the night; and I was not deceived.” (Ps. lxxvi, 2) 

But how must we act so as to arrive at that perfection? 
i°. We must nourish our hearts with holy affections, we must think 
of God, of Heaven, of sin, which is the cause of all our evils. 

“While working let him reflect on the cause of the work, so that 
the very pain which he endures in it may recall to his mind the fault 
for which he suffers.” (S. Bern.) 

2 0 . We should speak good words only: 

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual can¬ 
ticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” (Eph. 

V, 19) 

3°. We must arm ourselves with patience, in order to bear, with 


MEANS OF SANCTIFYING WORK 733 

humble submission to the will of God, the fatigues that accompany 
labor. 

‘‘Be subject to the Lord and pray to Him. ,, (Ps. xxxvi, 7) 

“Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the Most 
High.” (Eccli. vii, 16) 

3. Finally, in order to sanctify our work, we should, as Christians, 
unite ourselves to Jesus Christ 

He is our Head and our Model; we should consecrate to Him our 
pains and our sweat, suffering for Him as He suffered for us. Such 
has been the practice of all the Saints. 

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you 
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your 
reasonable service.” (Rom. xii, 1) 

“Join thyself to God and endure; ... and in thy sorrow endure, 
and in thy humiliation keep patience.” (Eccli. ii, 3, 4) 

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do; do all to the 
glory of God.” (1 Cor. x, 31) 

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmovable, 
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor 
is not vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. xv, 58) 


Divisions 

I 

1. We must work. 

From whatever point of view we consider the condition of man, 
everything concurs in making known the obligation under which he is, 
of working. He ought to work, whether we consider what he is, 
(1) by nature, or (2) in the character of a sinner. 

In vain will you say that your state in life dispenses you from work- 
in? that you have property to live on without doing anything. It is 
true that the work to which God has condemned mankind is not the 
same for all conditions of life; but there is no one, in whatever state 
he may be, who should not engage in some work, mental or bodily. 

2. How should we work? 

A man loses his labor, he condemns himself in work as in idleness, 
if the work which he does is not according to the will of God. It 
it is not enough to work, nor even to do much work, the work we do 
must be sanctified. A man must: 



734 WORK 

a) Work as a reasonable being, that is to say, he must engage in 
lawful and moderate labor; 

b) He must work as a Christian, that is, he must refer all his work 
to God with the intention of pleasing Him. 

II 

We must work: 

1. Because God obliges each man to work, and has placed him in 
this world for that purpose: “Man is born to labor.” (Job v, 7) 

2. In order to atone for our past sins, to preserve ourselves from 
sin in the future, and from all the sad effects of idleness. 

3. In order to practise the good works suitable to our state, and to 
imitate the laborious life of Jesus Christ. ... Do not say then: 
“Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thy rest, 
eat.” (Luke xii, 19). “For if any man will not work, neither let him 
eat.” (2 Thess. iii, 10) 

2. We must sanctify our work. 

To do this two things are necessary: 

1. To banish from it everything that could offend God: murmurings, 
impatience, blasphemy, oaths, lies, obscene works, immodest songs; 

2. To work with the disposition of a true Christian, that is to say, 
through a good motive, with the view of pleasing God; consequently, 
to occupy ourselves with the work which He demands of us, when He 
demands it, and as He demands it. 


CXIX 


GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME 

“Son, observe time and fly from evil.” (Eccli. iv, 23 ) 

The source of all the disorders that prevail among men is the wrong 
use of time. Some pass their days in sloth and idleness, others in the 
tumult of business and worldly affairs. And yet, man’s eternal salva¬ 
tion depends on the use of that time which he loses, and to which he 
attaches so little value. I. Motives that should induce us to employ our 
time well; II. How we should employ it. 


I. MOTIVES that SHOULD INDUCE US TO EMPLOY OUR TIME WELL 

The more precious and necessary a thing is, the more we should 
value it; the more limited the use of it that is given to us, the more 
eager we should be to profit by it, especially if after having lost it 
there is no longer any hope of recovering it. But such are the chief 
motives that should make time precious and valuable in our eyes, 
(i) Time is valuable, (2) it is short, (3) its loss is irreparable. 


1 Time is valuable, both with reference to the end for which it is 
given to us, and to what it cost Jesus Christ to procure it for us. 


a) For what end, in fact, has God given us the time of this life on 
earth ? Is it to hoard up riches? No; it is in order that we may gain 
Heaven Time conducts us to eternity; and our eternity will be happy 
or miserable, according as we shall have made a good or a bad use 

° “TTittle of the time that is being wasted is the price of eternity.” 

^■'‘TirnHs as valuable as God Himself. ... God is gained by time 
well spent.” (S. Bern.) 


bl But wbat esteem shall we not have of time, if we consider what it 
cost Tesus Christ to procure it for us? Condemned to death on ac¬ 
count of original sin, we should receive life only to lose it at the very 
instant we rfceived it. The Blood of Jesus Christ has blotted out that 

7 3 5 


GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME 


736 

decree of death. The death of Christ alone then gives us the right 
to live, and if, notwithstanding our sins, God gives us time for re¬ 
pentance, to whom do we owe it? To Jesus Christ. 

“Cut it down . . . Lord [Christ answers], let it alone this year 
also.” (Luke xiii, 7, 8) 

“The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed, because His 
commiserations have not failed.” (Lament, iii, 22) 

How do you employ your time? . . . Some pass their time in idle¬ 
ness : “Doing nothing.” Others pass it in doing something else 
than what they should do: “Doing another thing.” Others, more 
criminal still, pass it in doing what is wicked: “Doing evil.” 
(Seneca) 

“There is nothing more precious than time; but, alas! to-day there 
is nothing that is considered of less value.” (S. Bern.) 

“Time is very precious; now is the day of salvation; now is the 
acceptable time. But, alas! that thou dost not more profitably spend 
this time, wherein thou canst earn that whereby thou mayest live for 
ever. The time will come, when thou wilt wish for one day or hour 
to amend; and I know not whether thou wilt obtain it.” ( Imit ., 
B. 1, c. 23) 

2. Time is short. A man has hardly come into the world, when he 
is obliged to think of quitting it. There is, so to speak, only one 
step from the cradle to the grave. The greater number of men live 
but a short time, and at death what are the years of those who live 
the longest? 

“A thousand years in Thy sight are as yesterday, which is past.” 
(Ps. lxxxix, 4) 

“My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the 
weaver, and are consumed without any hope. Remember that my life 
is but wind, and my eye shall not return to see good things.” (Job 
vii, 6, 7) 

“Against a leaf that is carried away with the wind, thou shewest 
thy power, and thou pursuest a dry straw.” (Job xiii, 25) 

“We are but of yesterday, and are ignorant that our days upon earth 
are but a shadow.” (Job viii, 9) 

“Man, born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many 
miseries. Who cometh forth like a flower and is destroyed, and fleeth 
as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.” (Job xiv, 1,2) 

“Man is like to vanity; his days pass away like a shadow.” (Ps. 
cxliii, 4) 

“Our time is as the passing of a shadow.” (Wis. ii, 5) 

“The time is short; it remaineth . . . that they that use this world 


MOTIVES FOR EMPLOYING TIME WELL 


737 


be as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away.” 
(i Cor. vii, 29, 31) 

“What is your life? It is a vapor which appeareth for a little 
while.” (Jas. iv, 15) 

“The duration of all time is brief when compared with eternity.” 
(S. Jerome) 

“Life is short. The word I speak and the letter I write, adds to 
my age, or shortens my life. The older we grow, the nearer we come 
to the grave.” (Id.) 

“One hour is the portion of all life.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Nothing that has an end is long. All time compared to eternity 
is to be reckoned, not simply as short, but as nothing.” (S. Aug.) 

“Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days.” (Ps. 
liv, 24) 

3. The loss of time is irreparable. The years we have lived on 
earth are no longer at our disposal. Happy are we if we have spent 
them well. How great will be the regret of a dying man when he sees 
that those days which he could have used so as to gain Heaven, have 
passed away for ever? Will you wait for a like fate before you reflect 
on the value of time, and regret what you have lost? 

“Our years do not come to remain with us; but when they pass 
over us they wear us out.” (S. Aug.) 

“There is no greater loss to us than the loss of time wasted.” (S. 
Bonav.) 

“All things are snatched away by the fleeting moments; the torrent 
rushes on.” (S. Aug.) 

“He [man] knoweth not that time shall pass, and that death ap- 
proacheth, and that he must leave all to others, and shall die.” (Eccli. 
xi, 20) 

“Always remember the end, and that time once lost never returns. 

Thou wilt always rejoice in the evening, if thou spend the day 
profitably.” ( Imit., B. 1, c. 25) 

“All those things are passed away like a shadow, and like a post 
that runneth on. . . . So we also, being born, forthwith ceased to be. 

Such things as these the sinners said in hell.” (Wis. v, 9, 13, 14) 

“Knowing that while we are in the body, we are absent from the 
Lord . . . But we are confident, and have a good will to be absent 
rather from the body, and to be present with the Lord. And there¬ 
fore we labor, whether absent or present, to please Him.” (2 Cor. 

“He who does not weep as a pilgrim shall not rejoice as a citizen. 
(S. Aug.) 


73 « 


GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME 


II. HOW WE SHOULD EMPLOY TIME 

To make a good use of time we must consider it with reference to 
the past, to the present, and to the future. We should: (i) atone 
for the past, (2) be careful of the present, and (3) take precautions 
against the future. 

1. We should atone for the past. Although it is not in our power 
to recall the time that is past, nevertheless we can atone for and re¬ 
deem it. 

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. v, 16) 

What does it mean to redeem property in commerce? It means 
that, in order to recover the property, we pay back the price we re¬ 
ceived for it, we pay a debt with which we are burdened. You have 
sold your time to the world. You have contracted debts towards the 
justice of God. These debts are your sins. These sins are past, it is 
true, but your crime still remains in the stain with which it has dis¬ 
figured your soul; and that stain will remain, until it is blotted out by 
tears of repentance. 

“All these things are passed away like a shadow.” (Wis. v, 9) 

“[That is] they have passed from the hand, not from the mind. To 
act was a matter of time, to have acted will have eternal consequences.” 
(S. Bern.) 

We must have recourse to penance as the penitent king of whom 
Isaias speaks: 

“I will recount to Thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” 
(Is. xxxviii, 15) 

If you form similar resolutions in your heart and put them into 
practice, God will say to you: 

“I will restore to you the years which the locust, and the bruchus, 
and the mildew, and the palm-worm have eaten.” (Joel ii, 25) 

“The time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the gentiles 
for them who have walked in riotousness, lusts, excess of wine, etc.” 
(1 Pet. iv, 3) 

“There is this difference between eternity and time, that the one is 
lasting, whereas the other is changeable.” (S. Aug.) 

“We redeem the time when by penance we atone for a life wasted 
in committing sin.” (S. Greg.) 

“What is it to redeem the time unless, when necessary, to turn tem¬ 
poral losses to good account by making them the means of obtaining 
and laying hold of life everlasting, by comparing the nothingness of 
time with respect to eternity, and by making a good use of the op¬ 
portunities and occasions afforded us.” (S. Aug.) 


HOW WE SHOULD EMPLOY TIME 


739 


“Count as lost the time in which you do not think of God: indeed 
nothing else belongs to us, time only is ours.” (S. Bern.) 

“The time of examination draws nearer each day; every hour brings 
us nearer to judgment. ,, (S. Eucher.) 

2. We should he careful of the present . You cannot dispose of 
the time that is passed, since it is no longer yours; you cannot dispose 
of the time to come, since it is not yet yours and may never be; the 
present time alone belongs to you, and even that is escaping from 
you while you speak. Profit by it, then. If you were sure that you 
had only this year, this day to live, how, I ask you, would you spend 
it? There is one day that will be the last for you. Can you be certain 
that this is not it? 

“Do good to thy friend [thy soul] before thou die. . . . Defraud 
not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good gift over¬ 
pass thee.” (Eccli. xiv, 13, 14) 

“In doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, 
not failing. Therefore whilst we have time let us work good.” (Gal. 
vi, 9, 10) 

“That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, 
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory.” 
(2 Cor. iv, 17) 

Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly.” (Eccle. 
ix, 10) 

“He [the Lord] hath called against me the time.” (Lament, i, 15) 

“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of 
salvation.” (2 Cor. vi, 2) 

“If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that 
are to thy peace.” (Luke xix, 42) 

“Say not: The first ages were better than the present; virtues make 
days good, vices make them evil.” (S. Jerome) 

“It is better to be old in virtues than in years, in merit than in time; 
age is perfect when virtue is perfect.” (Hugh of S. Victor). 

“Every hope that depends on time is uncertain, because time itself 
is uncertain.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let us rejoice to have lived during that time only which we have 
passed in innocence and humility.” (S. Greg.) 

“A man who is truly obedient to God knows how to remain firm in 
the midst of transitory things; he knows how to earnestly direct the 
progress of his soul during the passing away of these fleeting hours.” 
(Id.) 

“Let no one think that the time which is wasted in idle conversa¬ 
tion is of little value.” (S. Bern.) 


740 GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME 

'‘The days of salvation are passing away, and no one reflects.” 
(Id.) 

“What is more slothful than this? You waste long nights in slug¬ 
gish sleep, and you prolong idle days in conversation.” (Id.) 

“Man knoweth not his own end; but as fishes are taken with the 
hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the 
evil time.” (Eccle. ix, 12) 

“Do, my beloved, do now all thou canst, because thou knowest not 
when thou shalt die; nor knowest thou what shall befall thee after 
death.” (Unit., B. 1, c. 23) 

“As feast by feast returns, we should make our resolution, as if we 
were then to depart out of this world and to go to the everlasting 
feast. . . . And if it [the reward] be deferred, let us believe that we 
are not well prepared, and as yet unworthy of the great glory.” ( Imit ., 
B. 1, c. 19) 

3. We should take precautions against the future. In thus plac¬ 
ing the present time to profit you will be taking precautions 
against the future, on which you should not count. How can we. 
in truth, count on a time which is so uncertain? God has not prom¬ 
ised it to us; neither vigor of manhood nor strength of constitution 
can guarantee it to us. To expose our eternal salvation to the un¬ 
certainty of a time to come is to place it in danger. You do not 
act in this manner in temporal affairs. If the occasion of making 
wordly profit presents itself to you, you do not wait until to-morrow. 

“The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the 
children of light.” (Luke xvi, 8) 

What blindness! It seems, to see you acting in this way, that you 
think you will never die, or that you have made an agreement with 
death, to strike you only when you yourselves wish. Foolish sinner! 
You are perhaps at the end of your life. 

“[Behold, for you] it is towards evening, and the day is now far 
spent.” (Luke xxiv, 29) 

“He swore by Him that liveth for ever and ever. . . . That time 
shall be no more.” (Apoc. x, 6) 

“Boast not for to-morrow, for thou knowest not what the day to come 
may bring forth.” (Prov. xxvii, 1) 

“Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.” (Eccli. vii, 18) 

“Remember that death is not slow.” (Eccli. xiv, 12) 

“If it make any delay, wait for it; for it shall surely come, and it 
shall not be slack.” (Habac. ii, 3) 

“All things have their season, and in their times all things pass 


HOW WE SHOULD EMPLOY TIME 741 

under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. . . . [And] 
what hath man more of his labor ?” (Eccle. iii, 1, 2, 9) 

‘ The heart of a wise man understandeth time and answer. There 
is a time and opportunity for every business. . . . Because he [man] 
is ignorant of things past and things to come he cannot know by any 
messenger. It is not in man’s power to stop the spirit, neither hath 
he power in the day of death.” (Eccle. viii, 5-8) 

“It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father 
hath put in His own power.” (Acts i, 7) 

“And that knowing the season; that it is now the hour for us to rise 
from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” 
(Rom. xiii, 11) 

“Trade till I come.” (Luke xix, 13) 

“The night cometh when no man can work.” (John ix, 4) 

“Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you 
not.” (John xii, 35) 

“I had in my mind the eternal years. . . . And I said: Now I have 
begun.” (Ps. lxxvi, 6, 11) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Let us understand the value of time and we shall not lose it. 

There are three reasons that should render time precious and valu¬ 
able to every prudent man: 

i°. It is the price of eternity; 

2°. It is short, and cannot be too quickly placed to profit; 

3 0 . Its loss is irreparable; time once lost is lost without hope of 
recovery. 

2. Let us understand the value of time, and employ it only in working 
out our salvation. 

The Christian use of time does not consist simply in filling up each 
moment, but in filling it up in order, and according to the will of God, 
who gives it to us. But in what does this order consist, which should 
regulate the measure of our occupations and sanctify the use of our 
time ? It consists 

i°. In confining ourselves to the occupations attached to our state 
of life; 

2°. In regarding as the most essential and the most privileged of 
our occupations, those that concern the salvation of our soul. 



742 


GOOD EMPLOYMENT OF TIME 


II 

i. There is nothing more easily lost than time, and nothing the loss of 
which causes less uneasiness. 

We lose time, 

i°. By doing nothing; 

2°. By doing evil, by passing the greater part of our time in licen¬ 
tiousness, injustice, and iniquity; 

3 °. By occupying ourselves with trifling and useless matters; 

4 °. By doing any other thing than that which we should do. “A 
f^rtion of time is lost by those who do nothing, a very great portion 
by those who do evil, and the whole by those who do any other thing 
but what they should do.” (Seneca.) 

2. Yet there is no loss that should be more keenly felt. 
i°, Because it is in itself a great loss; for we deprive ourselves of 
the graces we would acquire by occupying our time in a holy manner. 
2°. Because such loss is irreparable; 

3 °. Because it carries with it the loss of the Sovereign Good in 
causing us to lose a happy eternity. 

Ill 

i. We must repair the past, 

i°. By a sincere sorrow for having made a bad use of time; 

2 °. By works of supererogation: we did not do what we were 
bound to do; there is nothing more just than that we should do now 
more than we are obliged to do; 

3°. By fulfilling our duties more fervently and punctually. 

2. We must regulate the future, by dividing our time among the 

duties we owe to God, to our neighbor, and to ourselves; by observ¬ 
ing these three rules: 

i°. To curtail nothing from what we owe to God; 

2°. Not to give so much of our time to others as to retain none for 
ourselves; 

3 °. To give to our duties and business only the time that is neces¬ 
sary, and not to &ive ourselves up to them altogether. 


cxx 


FRATERNAL CORRECTION 

“He gave to every one of them commandment concerning his neigh¬ 
bor.” (Eccli. xvii, 12) 

By fraternal correction is understood every remonstrance that 
springs from a spirit of charity, and is made to any one for a fault 
he has committed, to induce him to repair that fault, or to prevent 
him from committing other faults in the future. Consider: I. The 
obligation of exercising fraternal correction; II. Who are bound to 
fulfil this duty; III. How to fulfil it. 

I. THE OBLIGATION OF EXERCISING FRATERNAL CORRECTION 

The precept of fraternal correction is founded (1) on the love we 
owe to God, (2) on the love we owe to our neighbor, (3) on the general 
interest. 

1. It is founded on the love we owe to God, and on the zeal which 
we should show for His glory and interests. But how can we show 
that love and zeal better than by preventing others from offending and 
dishonoring Him? 

“They that rebuke [the impious man] shall be praised, and a bless¬ 
ing shall come upon them/’ (Prov. xxiv, 25) 

“Before thou inquire, blame no man; and when thou hast inquired, 
reprove justly.” (Eccli. xi, 7) 

“Admonish thy neighbor before thou threaten him, and give place 
to the fear of the Most High.” (Eccli. xix, 17, 18) 

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
rather reprove them.” (Eph. v, 11) 

“Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, en¬ 
treat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.” (2 Tim. iv, 2) 

“Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” (Tit. 

“Reproof is to be employed but rarely, and in great necessity; and 
the interests of God, not our own interests, must be kept in view.” 
(S. Aug.) 

“Nevertheless I would specially choose those who are earnest and 

743 


744 


FRATERNAL CORRECTION 


zealous, who speak of the sin and condemn it; for this is the greatest 
mercy and clemency, to heal the wounds.” (S. Chrys.) 

“Let that zeal, that love of justice, that hatred of iniquity, burn in 
our hearts; let no one cherish vices, let no one conceal his sins.” 
(S. Bern.) 

2. The precept is founded on the duty of charity towards our 
neighbor. It is included in, and makes part of that duty, because we 
cannot exercise this charity more benficially than in preventing our 
neighbor from losing his soul, and in withdrawing him from sin which 
would be the cause of his damnation. 

“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, but reprove him 
openly, lest thou incur sin through him.” (Levit. xix, 17) 

“Open rebuke is better than hidden love.” (Prov. xxvii, 5) 

“Reprove a friend, lest he may not have understood, and say I did 
it not; or if he did it, that he may do it no more.” (Eccli. xix, 13) 

“If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him; and if he do penance, 
forgive him.” (Luke xvii, 3) 

“If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that 
man . . . yet do not esteem him as an enemy, but admonish him as a 
brother.” (2 Thess. iii, 14) 

“If a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct 
such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also 
be tempted.” (Gal. vi, 1) 

“Rebuke the unquiet, comfort the feeble-minded.” (1 Thess. v, 14) 

“We should reprove in a spirit of love, not with the desire of injur¬ 
ing, but with the hope of correcting.” (S. Aug.) 

“We should never undertake the duty of rebuking the sin of another 
unless we can certainly assure ourselves that we are doing so in a 
spirit of love.” (S. Aug.) 

“Think not that you love your servant when you do not chastise 
him, or that you love your son when you do not correct him; this is 
weakness, not charity.” (S. Aug.) 

“Reproofs are good, and for the jnost part, better than the friendship 
that is silent; and if your friend thinks that you are offended, do you 
notwithstanding reprove him.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Let sins be hated, not men; let the violent be reproved, the weak 
tolerated; and when it is necessary to chastise more severely, let the 
punishment be inflicted not in a spirit of anger, but with the hope of 
doing good.” (S. Leo) 

“Let kindness rather than severity urge us to reprove; encourage¬ 
ment more than anger; charity rather than power.” (Id.) 


WHO ARE BOUND TO CORRECT 


745 


3. The precept is founded on the interest which each one should 
take in the public welfare. If no one reproved or converted sinners 
and those who neglect their duties, sin would very soon become an 
infectious evil that would spread on all sides. 

“Power, when it is tried, reproveth the unwise.” (Wis. i, 3) 

“If the severity of discipline remains sunk in sleep, iniquity rages 
with impunity.” (S. Aug.) 

“The sin of one man which, when known, is not reproved, contam¬ 
inates many, nay, it contaminates all who know it and do not avoid the 
sinner, or who, when they can reprove him, remain silent; for he does 
not seem to himself to sin when no one reproves him or avoids him.” 
(S. Ambr.) 

“Impunity is the offspring of carelessness, the mother of pride, the 
foster-parent of transgressions.” Bern.) 

II. WHO ARE BOUND TO FULFIL THIS DUTY 

1. This duty is obligatory on all who have authority over others, 
magistrates, pastors, parents, masters, mistresses. It is attached to 
the position they occupy, since they will have to render an account to 
God of the loss of those the care of whom He has more particularly 
entrusted to them. 

“Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to 
extirpate iniquities.” (Eccli. vii, 6) 

“Withhold not correction from a child. . . . Thou shalt beat him 
with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” (Prov. xxiii, 13, 14) 

“What son is there whom the father doth not correct.” (Hebr. 
xii, 7) 

“If any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of 
his house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” 
(1 Tim. v, 8) 

“Parents shall give an account of the sins which their children have 
committed.” (Orig.) 

“Masters, watch over the salvation of your servants with the ut¬ 
most care.” (S. Aug.) 

“To be silent when you should reprove, is to consent; and we know 
that the same punishment awaits those who do wrong, and those who 
consent to it.” (S. Bern.) 

2 But this duty is incumbent on each individual, also, no matter 
what his state or position may be. Indeed, magistrates, as such, have 
not the right to punish all kinds of sins. Pastors do. not always see 
or know the licentiousness of those who compose their flocks. Who 


746 


FRATERNAL CORRECTION 


then will be able to reprove vice? I say that each one of you is 
bound to do so when he sees sin committed. “He gave to every one 
commandment.” 

“A physician is irksome to a raving lunatic, and a father to a way¬ 
ward son: the one in binding, the other in punishing, but both in¬ 
fluenced by love. If, however, they neglect these and allow them to 
perish, their false clemency is cruel.” (S. Aug.) 

“You think little of the wound of your brother, you see him perish, 
and you neglect him; your silence is werse than his reviling.” (Id.) 

“He who refuses to set right the sensual life [of another], as far 
as he can do so, in reality denies that he belongs to God.” (S. Greg.) 

“He who does not put right the things that should be corrected, is 
guilty; and he who neglects to amend what he can put right, is guilty 
of the same fault as the sinner.” (Id.) 

“He who can correct and neglects to do so, undoubtedly makes him¬ 
self a sharer; he who assists another to do good, does good himself.” 
(id.) 

“He who does not reprove an erring brother, in a certain sense, en¬ 
courages him to sin.” (S. Ambr.) 

“I share in the sin of all sinners when I do not reprove them.” 
(S. Prosper) 

“He who neglects to put right what he can correct is undoubtedly 
guilty of the fault of the person sinning.” (S. Leo) 

“When vices are reproved and scandal thence arises, he who is guilty 
of the fault that has to be reproved, and not he who reproves, is the 
cause of the scandal.” (S. Bern.) 


III. HOW TO FULFIL THIS DUTY 

It would be indiscreet to administer this correction in the same way 
to all classes of persons. It is necessary, therefore, to know how to 
administer it, lest the evil should be augmented instead of being cured. 
Great prudence is necessary in fulfilling this duty. Regard must be 
had to the age, rank, temper, disposition of those who are to receive 
correction. We should know how to act towards our inferiors, to¬ 
wards our equals, towards our superiors. 

“Rebuke not a scorner lest he hate thee. Rebuke a wise man and 
he will love thee.” (Prov. ix, 8) 

“A rebuke availeth more with a wise man, than a hundred stripes 
with a fool.” (Prov. xvii, io) 

“[But thou, who dost correct] cast out first the beam out of thy own 
eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s 
eye.” (Matth. vii, 5) 


HOW TO FULFIL THIS DUTY 


747 

“[For] why seest thou the mote in thy brother’s eye, but the beam 
that is in thy own eye thou considerest not.” (Luke vi, 41) 

“Physician, heal thyself.” (Luke iv, 23) 

“He justly reprehends another who himself has not that for which 
another may reprehend him.” (S. Aug.) 

“He who takes care to correct the vices of others should be free 
from vice himself.” (S. Greg.) 

“I write not these things to confound you; but I admonish you as my 
dearest children.” (1 Cor. iv, 14) 

“Them that sin reprove before all, that the rest also may have fear.” 
(1 Tim. v, 20) 

“See that public sinners make public reparation for the scandal; but 
reprove privately those who sin in private. Bide your time, for such 
is the teaching of Holy Writ.” (S. Aug.) 

“Sins that are manifest are not to be cleansed by secret correction, 
but those who sin openly are to be censured openly, that when they 
are cured by a public reproof, those who imitated their sin may imitate 
their amendment.” (S. Greg.) 

“The more humbly we correct others, the better we shall recognize 
ourselves in those whom we free from faults.” (Id.) 

“A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition avoid, 
knowing that he is subverted.” (Tit. iii, 10) 

“Deal carefully with those who receive correction badly, when you 
fear that they may become worse because of this.” (S. Aug.) 

“Whatever is said in a bad temper is the violence of one who pun¬ 
ishes, not the charity of one who corrects. Love, and say what you 
will ” (S. Aug.) 

“We must use less severity, so that sincere charity may help in cur¬ 
ing greater evils.” (Id.) 

“If we permit those over whom we have power, to commit crimes 
in our presence, we shall be guilty in their presence. (Id.) 

“Let us not share in the sins of those whom we have not the power 

to correct.” (Id.) „ /r ,. 

“By a mild warning the proud are led on to greater crimes. (-*“•) 

“We must use severe correction as a medicine; but it depends on 
God to make it profitable to those we correct.” (Id.) 

“Let the vigor of discipline regulate clemency, ?nd clemency soften 
the vigor; and let each be so set off by the other that the vigor may 
not be too stern, nor the mildness lax.” (S. Greg.) 

“Understand that this is the order to be observed in correction, that 
you love the persons and punish the vices; lest if you would act other¬ 
wise, correction may change into severity, and you lose those whom you 
desire to amend.” (Id.) 


748 


FRATERNAL CORRECTION 


“A friendly correction does more good than a violent accusation; 
the one touches shame, the other excites indignation.” (S. Ambr.) 

“Your brother must be corrected apart from others, lest if he once 
lose his modesty and shame, he may remain in sin; and if he indeed 
hear, we shall gain his soul; and through the salvation of another we 
shall procure our own salvation.” (S. Jerome) 

There is one thing that should urge us to discharge faithfully this 
duty of fraternal correction, and that is, the great benefit we ourselves 
can gain from it. 

“If thy brother shall have offended against thee, go, and rebuke 
him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain 
thy brother.” (Matth. xviii, 15) 

“If any of you err from the truth, and one convert him, he must 
know that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of 
his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude 
of sins.” (Jas. v, 19, 20) 

“He that rebuketh a man shall afterwards find favor with him, 
more than he that by a flattering tongue deceiveth him.” (Prov. 
xxviii, 23) 

“The perverse are hard to be corrected.” (Eccle. i, 15) 

“All correction seems indeed bitter when it is given, but it produces 
the sweetest fruits.” (S. Jerome) 

“Let him who reproves have truth as a witness, have mildness as a 
father, have justice as a judge.” (S. Bern.) 

We should take in good part the corrections and reprimands we re¬ 
ceive ; we should never despise these salutary remonstrances. 

“He that yieldeth to reproof shall be glorified.” (Prov. xiii, 18) 
“Whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth; and as a father in the son 
He pleaseth Himself.” (Prov. iii, 12) 

“The ear that heareth the reproof of life, shall abide in the midst of 
the wise.” (Prov. xv, 31) 

“Consider the works of God, that no man can correct whom he hath 
despised.” (Eccle. vii, 14) 

“A man that is prudent and well instructed will not murmur when 
he is reproved.” (Eccli. x, 28) 

“How good is it, when thou art reproved, to show repentance! for 
so thou shalt escape wilful sin.” (Eccli. xx, 4) 

“The way of life to him that observeth correction; but he that for- 
saketh reproofs goeth astray.” (Prov. x, 17) 

“He that rejecteth instruction despiseth his own soul; but he that 
yieldeth to reproof possesseth understanding.” (Prov. xv, 32) 

“He that hateth reproof is foolish.” (Prov. xii, 1) 

“He that hateth reproof shall die.” (Prov. xv, 10) 


HOW TO FULFIL THIS DUTY 749 

“He that hateth chastisement, shall have less life.” (Eccli. xix, 5) 

A corrupt man loveth not one that reproveth him, nor will he go 
to the wise.” (Prov. xv, 12) 

The man that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him, 
shall suddenly be destroyed.” (Prov. xxix, 1) 

“We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed; let Us for¬ 
sake her.” (Jer. li, 9) 

Whoever you are that do not wish to be reproved, you ought for 
that very reason to be reproved, namely, that you are unwilling to 
receive reproof.” (S. Aug.) 

“Your vice is that you are evil; and your greater vice, that you are 
unwilling to be reproved because you are evil.” (Id.) 


Divisions 

I 

1. Fraternal correction is holy, when it is made through a motive of 
charity. 

2. It is salutary and efficacious, when it is regulated by prudence. 

3. It is meritorious, when the end proposed is the glory of God. 

II 

The zeal which induces us to correct our neighbor should be, 

1. Supported by good example; 

2. According to knowledge, that is, prudent and discreet; 

3. Vigorous and firm when necessary. 

III 

Correction should be received, 

1. With humility, the sinner acknowledging himself as such, without 
excusing his fault through pride. 

2. With gratitude, since it is a great benefit. 

3. With the firm purpose of profiting by it and correcting one’s 
faults. 



CXXI 


ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS 

“God is my witness, how I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus 
Christ.” (Philip, i, 8) 

Zeal for the salvation of souls is an effect of charity and divine 
love; it is an ardent desire to see the whole world loving, honoring, and 
serving God. 

There are three things to be considered in the zeal which we should 
have for the salvation of souls: i. The obligation of procuring the 
salvation of our neighbor; II. The motives that should induce us 
to procure it; III. The qualities which zeal should have that it may 
succeed. 


I. OBLIGATION OF PROCURING THE SALVATION OF OUR NEIGHBOR 

Every Christian is obliged to procure the salvation of his neighbor 
according to his means and opportunities: (i) This is a command¬ 

ment of God: “He gave to every one of them commandment concern¬ 
ing his brother.” (Eccli. xvii, 12). (2) This obligation is founded 

on Christian charity, which obliges us to love our neighbor as God com¬ 
mands us. But although this obligation is common to all, nevertheless 
there are certain persons whom it binds more particularly, such as 
those who have authority over others, magistrates, parents, superiors, 
etc. All are bound by it, since there is no one who cannot help to save 
others by pious conversations, charitable warnings, example, prayer. 

“At the hand of man will I require the life of man.” (Gen. ix, 5) 

“With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts, because 
the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant.” (3 Kings, xix, 
10, 14) 

“The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me, and the reproaches of them 
that reproached Thee are fallen upon me.” (Ps. lxviii, 10) 

“Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated Thee, and pined away 
because of Thy enemies?” (Ps. cxxxviii, 21) 

“A fainting hath taken hold of me, because of the wicked that for¬ 
sake Thy law.” (Ps. cxviii, 53) 

“I beheld the transgressors, and I pined away, because they kept not 
Thy word.” (Ibid., 158) 


75o 


MOTIVES 


75i 


“I will set my jealousy against thee.” (Ezech. xxiii, 25) 

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am 
not on fire?” (2 Cor. xi, 29) 

“I am come to cast fire on the earth, and what will I, but that it be 
kindled?” (Luke xii, 49) 

“The house of God is consumed with zeal, because it desires to 
amend all the perversity which it sees; and if it cannot amend it, it 
suffers and weeps.” (S. Aug.) 

“Let no one say: I am not able to admonish, I am not fit to exhort. 
Do what you can lest you be forced to lose in torments the badly pre¬ 
served talent which you received.” (S. Greg.) 

“The zealous think that all who are enemies of God are hostile to 
them, even though it should be father, brother, or sister.” (Id.) 

“I know not whether a greater favor can be conferred on man by 
God than that others may save their souls by means of his help.” 
(Richard of S. Victor) 

“An ass falls, and some one is found to raise it; a soul falls, and 
there is no one found to help.” (S. Bern.) 


II. MOTIVES THAT SHOULD INDUCE US TO PROCURE THE SALVATION OF 

OUR NEIGHBOR 

The glory of God, which we should procure as far as we can; 
but we shall never procure it better than by gaining souls for Him: 
there is no better way of showing our love. 2. The honor we shall ac¬ 
quire in being the associates, the co-operators of Jesus Christ in the 
work of saving souls. 3. The great service we render to these souls, 
who will be saved through our means and by our help. What grati¬ 
tude will they not show us? With what ardor will they not strive to 
procure our salvation? 

“I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ for my brethren, 
who are my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Rom. ix, 3) 

“My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be 
formed in you.” (Gal. iv, 19) 

“The charity of Christ presseth us.” (2 Cor. v, 14) 

“They that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all 
eternity.” (Dan. xii, 3) 

“He that causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way 
shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.” 
(Jas. v, 20) 

“He who converts many to the love of God is more perfect in char¬ 
ity; and the sacrifice the most pleasing to God is zeal for souls.” 
(S. Aug.) 


752 


ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS 


“If God did not love sinners, He would not come down from Heaven 
to earth.” (Id.) 

“There is nothing more pleasing to God, and therefore more deserv¬ 
ing of care, than the salvation of souls.” (S. Chrys.) 

“What can be compared to this zeal? It obtains what neither fast¬ 
ing, nor sleeping on the ground, nor long vigils, nor anything else ob¬ 
tains, the salvation of souls.” (Id.) 

“You would do more by converting a soul than by bestowing a large 
sum of money on the poor.” (Id.) 

“There is no sacrifice so great in the sight of God as zeal for souls.” 
(S. Greg.) 

“To co-operate with God in the salvation of souls is the most ex¬ 
cellent of all divine works.” (S. Denis) 

“How can any one say he loves God and seeks His love, when he 
sees God’s image lying in the dung-pit and is not troubled?” (S. 
Bonav.) 

“Had I taken some of our Lord’s Precious Blood from the Cross, 
and placed it in an earthen vessel to be carried about by me, what 
should be my feelings? How careful would I not be? But I have 
got the care of souls, that most precious treasure, to purchase which 
Christ, our Lord, a Buyer of infinite wisdom, shed the last drop of His 
Blood. If, then, the deposit entrusted to my care is, in the judgment 
of our Blessed Redeemer, of more value than His own Blood, where 
shall I, a miserable wretch, hide myself from the face of the Judge, if I 
happen to neglect my duty, and guard with less care the souls under 
my charge than I would guard the Precious Blood of Christ?” (S. 
Bern.) 

“Love your neighbor if you have a love for yourself; nothing will 
be more beneficial than what you have done for others in charity.” 
(S. Eucher.) 


III. CONDITIONS WHICH ZEAL SHOULD POSSESS IN ORDER THAT IT MAY 

SUCCEED 

As it is the glory of God that should influence us in working for the 
salvation of others, (i) this zeal should be pure, disinterested, and free 
from every human motive; (2) it should be formed on the model of 
the zeal of Jesus Christ, and possess the chief characteristics of that 
zeal, namely, mildness, patience, and condescension to the weakness 
of the neighbor; (3) this zeal having for its object the salvation of 
others, should be free from stain itself; it should therefore be “accord¬ 
ing to knowledge,” that is to say, prudent, discreet, and well regulated. 


CONDITIONS 


753 

I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according 
to knowledge.” (Rom. x, 2) 

«^° Ve *. S stron £ as death; jealousy is hard as hell.” (Cant, viii, 6) 

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, 
but that the wicked turn from his way, and live.” (Ezech. xxxiii, 11) 

We would gladly impart unto you not only the Gospel of God, 
but also our own souls; because you were become most dear unto us.” 
(1 Thess. ii, 8) 

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it not 
by constraint. . . . And when the Prince of pastors shall appear, you 
shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.” (1 Pet. v, 2, 4) 

“What is zeal but a certain interior incitement of charity, urging us 
to strive for the salvation of our brother.” (S. Bern.) 

“Let charity inflame your zeal, let knowledge direct it, and perse¬ 
verance strengthen it. Let it be fervent, prudent, invincible.” {Id.) 

“Can any one light a fire without fire? And without charity can 
any one fulfil the duties of charity? Let the flame of love burn in you, 
so that the lethargy of your neighbors may be expelled by your heat, 
and the fire of love continue to increase.” (S. Lawr. Just.) 

“We are sometimes moved by passion, and think it zeal. We blame 
little things in others, and pass over greater things in ourselves.” 
{Imit., B. ii, c. 5) 

“Have zeal first for yourself and then you will be justly able to 
show zeal for your neighbor.” {Id.) 


Divisions 

I 

Zeal for the Salvation of Souls Includes the Two Great Precepts of 

Charity. 

1. We cannot better show the love we have for God than by a sin¬ 
cere and ardent zeal for the salvation of souls. 

2. We cannot show greater charity towards our neighbor than by 
working to procure for him the greatest of all treasures, his eternal 
salvation. 

Thus, in zeal for the salvation of souls are included the two great 
precepts of charity, by which we fulfil the whole law. 



754 


ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS 


II 

1. To work in saving our neighbor’s soul is the greatest honor that 
can he rendered to God; 

2. It is the greatest and the most important service that can be ren¬ 
dered to the neighbor . 

3. It is the most meritorious work we can do for ourselves. 

III 

1. True zeal consists: 

i°. In hating sin and destroying it as much as possible; 

2°. In loving sinners and using every effort to lead them to a better 
life. 

2. In order to acquit ourselves of these two duties, by a perfect 
hatred and a perfect love, it is necessary, 

i°. That the zeal which we have for our enemies should be without 
bitterness; 

2°. That the zeal which we have for the salvation of our friends 
should be free from cowardice and from too great a complacency; 

3 0 . That the zeal which we have for those who are indifferent to us 
should be prudent and discreet. 


INDEX 


Abstinence, 344 sq. 

Adoration due to God, 166 sqq.; sins 
opposed to, 168 sqq. 

Almsgiving, 285 sqq. 

Ambition, Guilt and misery of, 699 
sqq.; Danger of, 701 sqq. 

Anger, Causes of, 563 sqq.; Pernicious 
effects of, 565 sqq. 

Avarice, The marks of, 550 sqq.; Dif¬ 
ficulty of correcting this vice, 553 
sqq. 

Backbiting, 296 sqq. 

Bad Company, Duty of avoiding, 260 
sqq. 

Balls, 267 sqq. 

Baptism, The grace of, 407 sqq.; 
Duties which it imposes, 410 sqq. 

Blasphemy, 181 sqq. 

Carelessness, 628 sqq. 

Chastity, Excellence and advantages 
of, 603 sqq.; Necessity of, 605 sqq.; 
Practices by which to preserve, 607 
sqq. 

Children, Duties of, 199 sqq. 

Christianity, Establishment of, 10 sq. 

Christ, Holiness of, 7 sq.; Of his doc¬ 
trine, 8; Obligation of knowing Him, 
50 sqq.; The greater part of man¬ 
kind do not know Him, 51 sqq.; 
Devotion to the Passion of, 55 sqq. 

Church, Authority of the, 325 sqq. 

Commandments of God, The, In gen¬ 
eral, 146 sqq.; In particular, 150 
sqq.; Observance of the, 346 sqq. 

Communion, Advantages of, 479 sqq.; 
Paschal, 335 sqq.; Disposition for 
receiving, 488 sqq.; Thanksgiving 
after, 491 sqq.; Frequent, 495 sqq.; 
Frivolous excuses for not receiving, 
498 sqq.; Sacrilegious, 502 sqq. 

Company, Duty of avoiding bad, 260 
sqq. 

Confession, Necessity of, 45 2 sqq.; 


Qualities of, 454 sqq.; Annual, 335 
sqq.; Frequent, 459 sqq. 

Confidence in God, 388 sqq. 

Confirmation, The grace of, 415 sqq. 

Conscience, False, The sources of, 652 
sqq.; Remedies for, 654 sqq.; A 
good, brings happiness and consola¬ 
tion, 659; A guilty, brings remorse 
and torment, 660 sqq. 

Contrition, Necessity of, 447 sqq.; 
Qualities of, 449 sqq. 

Conversion, Delay of, 68 sqq.; Two 
things necessary for, 70. 

Correction, Fraternal, 743 sqq. 

Cursing, 185 sqq. 

Customs, Worldly, 654. 

Dances, 267 sqq. 

Death, The thought of, 83 sqq.; Ad¬ 
vantages of, 85 sqq.; Of the wicked, 
89 sqq.; Of the just, 95 sqq.; Means 
of a happy, 98 sqq. 

Desires, Impure, 316 sqq.; Unlawful, 
for temporal goods, 320 sqq. 

Detraction, 296 sqq. 

Devotion, True and false, 645 sqq. 

Dignities, 705 sqq. 

Discords, 693 sqq. 

Divisions, 693 sqq. 

Drunkenness, 570 sqq. 

Easter duty, 335 sqq. 

Elect, Number of the, 101 sqq. 

Ember days, 343. 

Enemies, Love of, 232 sqq. 

Envy, 557 sqq. 

Errors of the mind, 652 sq. 

Eternity, What it is, 119; The truth 
of, 119 sqq.; Insensibility of man¬ 
kind with regard to, 122 sq. 

Eucharist, The Holy, As a food, 483 
sqq.; As a remedy, 485 sq. (See 
also Communion.) 

Examination of conscience, 442 sqq. 

Excuses to justify lying, 307 sqq. 


INDEX 


756 

Extreme Unction, Effects of, 508 sqq.; 
Ceremonies, 510 sqq. 

Faith, What it should be, 12 sqq.; 
What in too many cases it is, 14 
sqq. 

False testimony, 293 sqq. 

Fasting, 342 sqq. 

Fear of God, 350 sqq. 

Feasts, Of Our Lord, 339 sq.; Of the 
Bl. Virgin and the Saints, 340 sq. 

Fidelity in small things, 626 sqq. 

Flattery, Culpability of, 717 sqq.; Piti- 
ability of him who loves, 720 sqq. 

Forgivenness, Duty of, 232 sqq. 

Fraternal correction, 743 sqq. 

Frequent Communion, 495 sqq. 

Friday abstinence, 344 sq. 

Gluttony, 570 sqq. 

God, Love of, 150 sqq.; Adoration due 
to, 166 sqq. 

Good works, The necessity of, 630 
sqq.; What God demands of us, 633 
sqq. 

Grace, Sanctifying, 369 sqq.; Actual, 
376 sqq.; Abuse of, 383 sqq. 

Gratitude to God, Motives of, 687 
sqq.; How Practised, 689 sqq. 

Habits, Bad, 75 sqq. 

Heaven, Happiness of, 139 sqq.; What 
we must do to gain, 142 sqq. 

Hell, Punishments of, 125 sqq.; Fire 
of, 127 sqq.; Eternity of, 129 sqq. 

Holy days, 339 sqq., 329 sqq., 339 sqq. 

Holy Ghost, The, A comforter in sor¬ 
row, 415 sq.; A physician in sick¬ 
ness, 416 sq.; A protector against 
enemies, 417 sq.; Dispositions with 
which we should receive Him, 418 
sqq. 

Holy Orders, 513 sqq. 

Homicide, 228 sqq. 

Honors, 705 sqq. 

Hope, 388 sqq. 

Human respect, 422 sqq. 

Humility, Motives of, 583 sqq.; Ad¬ 
vantages of, 585 sqq.; Practice of, 
587 sqq. 

Hypocrisy, 663 sqq. 


Idleness, 248, 576 sqq. 

Idolatry, 168 sq. 

Ignorance of religion, Evils resulting 
from, 3 sq. 

Images, Worship of, 172 sqq. 

Impenitence, 463. 

Impiety, 169. 

Imprecations, 181 sqq. 

Impurity, 246 sqq., 316 sqq. 

Incarnation, God’s love for man mani¬ 
fested in the, 45 sqq.; What should 
be our love for the Son of God made 
man, 47 sq. 

Ingratitude towards God, 691. 

Injuries, Forgivenness of, 232 sqq. 

Instruction, Religious, Motives of, 1 
sqq.; Means of, 4 sqq.; Private, 4; 
Public, 4 sq.; How to assist at with 
profit, 5 sq. 

Intemperance, 570 sqq. 

Judgment, The particular, 107 sqq.; 
Means of forestalling its rigors, 109 
sqq.; The general, 112 sqq. 

Knowledge, Religious, Necessary, 2 sq. 

Labor, see Work. 

Larceny, 272 sqq. 

Laws of the Church, 325 sqq. 

Lawsuits, 693 sqq. 

Lent, 342 sq. 

Love, of God, Motives of, 150 sqq.; 
Characteristics of, 153 sqq.; Of our 
neighbor, obligation of, 158 sqq.; 
How we must discharge this obliga¬ 
tion, 160 sqq. 

Lying, 305 sqq. 

Marriage, Preparation for, 521 sqq.; 
Intention with which it should be en¬ 
tered, 523 sqq.; How to render one¬ 
self worthy of the grace which Christ 
has attached to this Sacrament, 524 
sq.; How to live in the state of, 
525 sqq.; Mutual love, 525 sq.; Con¬ 
jugal fidelity, 528 sq.; Charitable for¬ 
bearance, 529 sq. 

Martyrs, 10 sq. 

Mass, Duty of hearing, on Sunday, 
196 sq., 329 sqq. 


INDEX 


757 


Masters, Duties of, 217 sqq. 

Matrimony, see Marriage. 

Meekness, Advantages of, 590 sqq.; 
Practice of, 592 sqq. 

Mercy, Divine, What it does for sin¬ 
ners, 38 sqq.; What sinners should 
do to correspond to it, 40 sqq. 

Miracles, 9. 

Mortification, Of the senses, 142 sq.; 
Of the passions, 619 sqq. 

Murder, 229 sqq. 

Number of the Elect, 102 sqq. 

Oaths, 176 sqq.; Conditions of, 177 
sqq.; Obligation of and dispensation 
from, 179 sq. 

Occasions, Dangerous, 247 sq., 254 sqq. 

Orders, see Holy Orders. 

Pardoning injuries, Duty of, 232 sqq. 

Parents, Duties of, 205 sqq. 

Parishioners, Qualities of good, 224 
sqq. 

Passion of Christ, Devotion to the, 
Most pleasing to God, 55 sq.; Most 
beneficial to man, 57 sq. 

Passions, Mortification of the, 619 
sqq.; Means to repress the, 622 sqq.; 
A source of false conscience, 653. 

Pastors, Duties of, 222 sqq. 

Peace, No, without mortification, 620 
sqq. 

Penance, Necessity of, 428 sqq.; Quali¬ 
ties of, 435 sqq.; The Sacrament of, 
442 sqq. 

Perseverance in grace, 372 sqq.; Ob¬ 
ligation of, 465 sqq.; Means of, 469 
sqq. 

Poor Souls in Purgatory, Why we 
should assist them, 133 sqq.; Means 
of assisting them, 136 sq. 

Poverty, The spirit of, 322 sqq.; Ad¬ 
vantages of, 723 sqq.; Obligations of, 
726 sqq. 

Prayer, As a means of grace, 378 sqq.; 
Necessity and advantages of, 394 
sqq.; Conditions of efficacious, 397 
sqq.; When and for whom we should 
pray, 402 sqq. 

Presence of God, The, Source of our 
sanctification, 25 sqq.; Source of our 
happiness, 29 sqq. 


Presumption, 392. 

Pride, The sin of, 544 sqq. 

Priesthood, Power of the, 513 sqq.; 
Beneficent influence of the, 517 sqq. 

Prophecies, 8 sq. 

Providence, Divine, What it does for 
mankind, 32 sq.; What we should 
do to respond to God's loving care, 
34 sqq. 

Purgatory, 133 sqq. 

Quarter-tense, 343. 

Rash judgments, 310 sqq. 

Relapse into sin, 472 sqq. 

Relics, Worship of, 172 sqq. 

Religion, Knowledge of, 2 sq.; Di¬ 
vine origin of, 6 sqq. 

Reparation, 202 sq. 

Reprobation of sinners, 105. 

Resistance to grace, 379 sq. 

Respect, Human, 422 sqq.; In the 
church, 638 sqq. 

Restitution, 278 sqq. 

Riches, We must not be attached to or 
ambitious of, 321 sqq.; Usually ac¬ 
quired by unlawful means, 711 sq.; 
The possession of, generally danger¬ 
ous, 712 sqq.; Baneful effects of, 
714 sq. 

Robbery, 272 sqq. 

Sabbath, see Sunday. 

Sacraments, 378 sqq. 

Sacrilege, 171. 

Saints, Worship of, 172 sqq. 

Salvation, How we should regard the 
work of, 60 sqq.; How we should 
work to save our souls, 62 sqq.; 
Means of, 65 sq.; Difficulty of, 66 
sq.; Zeal for the’ salvation of souls, 
750 sqq. 

Sanctifying grace, 369 sqq. 

Scandal, 239 sqq. 

Servants, Duties of, 213 sqq. 

Service of God, 358 sqq. 

Sickness, Advantages of, 670 sqq.; To 
be borne patiently and with resig¬ 
nation, 673 sqq. 

Sin, The habit of, 75 sqq.; Hardens 
men in evil, 76 sq.; Leads to im¬ 
penitence and despair, 77 sq.; How 
the sinner may free himself, 78 sqq.; 


INDEX 


758 

Mortal sin is the enemy of God, 532 
sqq.; And of man, 534 sqq.; Venial 
sin is a proof of little love of God, 
539 sqq.; And of lack of zeal for 
one’s own salvation, 541 sqq. 

Sinner, The, Judged by God, 112 sqq.; 

By himself, 115 sqq. 

Slander, 296 sqq. 

Sloth, 576 sqq. 

Suffering, Advantage of to sinners, 677 
sqq.; To the just, 680 sqq. 

Suicide, 228 sq. 

Sunday, Sanctification of the, 193 sqq. 
Superstition, 169 sq. 

Swearing, 185 sqq. 

Temperance, In what it consists, 596 
sqq.; Advantages of, 599 sqq. 
Temptations, Against purity, 316 sqq.; 
Different kinds of, 610 sqq.; Pleas¬ 
ure, 612; Vain glory, 612 sqq.; Self- 
interest, 614 sq.; Means of over¬ 
coming, 614 sqq. 

Theft, 272 sqq. 


Thoughts, Impure, 316 sqq. 

Time, Good employment of, 735 sqq. 

Titles, 705 sqq. 

Trials, 677 sqq. 

Virtue, True and false, 645 sqq.; Of 
the Pharisees, 648 sq. 

Vows, 189 sqq.; Obligations arising 
from, 190 sqq. 

Wealth, see Riches. 

Wicked, Death of the, 89 sqq. 

Witchcraft, 169. 

Word of God, Fruits and effects of, 
18 sqq.; With what disposition it 
should be received, 20 sqq. 

Work, Obligation of, 729 sqq.; Means 
of sanctifying, 731 sqq. 

Worship of the Saints, images, and 
relics, 172 sqq. 

Zeal for the salvation of souls, 750 
sqq. 


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